


The moment I saw you (pick me, pick me, pick me)

by Fourthfireshadow



Category: Produce 101 (TV), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Idols, Alternate Universe - Reality Show, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Awkward Flirting, Bottom Kim Taehyung | V, Bts isnt bts yet please be patient thank you, Bts/got7/seventeen/btob are not formed yet, Competition, Fluff, Jeon Jungkook Is Bad at Feelings, Kim Taehyung | V & Park Jimin Are Best Friends, Kim Taehyung | V Is a Sweetheart, M/M, Maknae line, Multi, Produce 101 - Freeform, Produce101 is swallowing me whole istg, Rivalry, Romance, Sexual Tension, Shy Jeon Jungkook, Slow Burn, Teen Angst, Top Jeon Jungkook, platonic!vmin, produce101!au, taekook, the holy trinity, vkook, vmin - Freeform, vminkook, vminkook is platonic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-30
Updated: 2018-10-18
Packaged: 2018-10-25 22:01:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 22,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10773342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fourthfireshadow/pseuds/Fourthfireshadow
Summary: Kim Taehyung never thought a wink would change his life forever.If only his flirting was as smooth as that wink was.Or, alternatively.The one where Kim Taehyung and Jeon Jungkook find love amidst the craziness that is Produce 101.





	1. The first step to a big dream

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys!  
> So, I've been obsessed with Produce 101 lately, and this is the result of it. I just had to channel all that frustration of waiting for new episodes and every detail of my faves into writing and Taekook, and I think it's working. I'd seen a prompt for a produce 101 fic in a taekook blog, and I'd also read sassyneki's story(you guys HAVE to read it, it's already brilliant and it's only been 2 chapters, istg), and now I'm trying it out too.  
> Hope you guys like it!

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* * *

 

 

When Taehyung finally saw the set, his jaw dropped. Just slightly though, since he knew there were cameras around and all that. It was important to show reactions, he knew that; it’s been drilled into him, after all, but it was also important not to be _too_ open as well.

But this time, he was genuinely impressed. The whole set was blue, as opposed to the pink of the last season—because, well, _boys_ —with a humongous glittery throne placed right at the top of the metaphorical—or maybe literal, because this show wasn’t ever about subtlety when it comes to the competition—pyramid with the chairs getting smaller until the base of it. again, If that wasn’t the most _literal_ sense of a hierarchy, he didn’t know what was. There were lights shining brilliantly from the beams on top, and each step leading to the top had two cameras that seemed to move automatically, presumably to record every participant’s reactions and facial expressions.

Flashy, was the word that would describe the set in one word, that’s for sure.

“ _Waah_ ~I can’t believe we’re here, Tae.” Jin breathed from behind and Taehyung grinned back at him, knowing fully well how the other was feeling.

Produce 101 wasn’t ever something he had ever foreseen himself participating in. Taehyung hadn’t really been a diligent watcher of the first season, per say, but he’d seen enough to get the gist of the whole thing and the bottom line was this— _nothing_ beats popularity; whether it be talent or hard work; those are just pretty words everyone naïve enough would try to feed you when you’re down in the dumps in this life and nothing ever goes right. No, what _really_ makes an idol, above hard work, above talent, as sad and unfortunate as it sounds, is how much you can get a person to like you. That’s not to say none of that matters, no of course not. Without talent you won’t get noticed in the first place and without hard work you can never hope to go forward after the initial attention, but that thing that makes a person stay at the top?

That’s popularity for sure.

The number of connections you make, the amount of screen time you get, the number of people you can get to look at you and _stay_ looking— _that’s_ what matters.

And Produce 101 season one emphasized that in the most harshest ways possible.

_But_ , however unfair and severe it was, Taehyung couldn’t really deny the benefits of the show, either. Because who can really say IOI was a failure in the idol world?

Absolutely no one.

And so, when he’d heard from his company’s CEO that Produce 101 was launching a second season, this time to make the nation’s boy group, and that he’d like Taehyung and Jin to apply, he’d agreed without a second thought.

He’d been a trainee for about two years now already, with no debut in sight really. He knew it wasn’t really his company’s fault—or maybe it is, because Big Hit was just a start up at this point, with no really known artists in its roster other than maybe Homme, and as such, really didn’t have enough of expenses to produce an idol group as of yet. And maybe it was slightly his fault as well, by willingly entering the company just by seeing Namjoon perform once and being mesmerized, knowing fully well that the company wasn’t huge and really wasn’t on the way to becoming one.

But he was an impulsive person, always had been, and after one look at the charismatic rapper, he’d signed the dotted line and the rest was history. He was satisfied initially, just learning and practicing, but then he felt that hopelessness settle in, and the taste for the spotlight burn the tip of his tongue, and when he got this opportunity in his hands, how could he not jump at it?

This was finally his chance to get recognized. To get acknowledged. So, how could he not?

Looking around quickly, Taehyung could see there were already quite a few seats filled, but the throne at the top wasn’t.

“Hello, my name is Kim Taehyung—”

“And my name is Kim Seokjin—“

“And we are trainees from Big Hit Entertainment, please take care of us!” They finished in sync, bowing low, and rose to a low applause from all the other seated trainees. Taehyung could hear a few whispers among the scattered trainees, and he tried not to let it bother him—it was expected after all, in a show like this. This was like a more glamorous version of high school, and if the previous season was anything to go by, gossip is a _given_ , and not many would know this, but sometimes, boys were even _worse_ gossipers than girls, so he could only imagine the _gems_ that would come out of this season.

“Hyung, you wanna take the number one seat?” Taehyung asks, grinning mischievously at the other as they slowly start to climb the stairs on the side.

“Do you _want_ me to get cursed at?” Jin retorts, making him laugh, and they finally settle on two seats in the middle with the numbers thirty-eight and thirty-nine painted on them with glittery gold. Unassuming numbers, safe numbers. Numbers that aren’t too low, but not low enough that they shouldn’t be seen as a threat.

It was only when he was settling in and Jin gasped from beside him that Taehyung also looked up, following Jin’s gaze to the screen and he didn’t want to admit it, but he paled slightly at the sight because there, in large, pixelated letters was the number three flashing underneath his application picture and a number eight under Jin’s own picture, right under the logo of Big Hit Entertainment.

The whispers grew in frequency, and Taehyung resisted the urge to groan out loud. Instead, he looked at Jin in bewilderment. Jin just blinked back.

“…I did _not_ see that coming.”

“…I think people are gonna be cursing me out instead of you, hyung.” Taehyung joked, smiling sheepishly at the camera that creepily turned towards them.

“That’s good then.” Jin quipped and Taehyung scowled playfully, shoving at the elder.

“Rude.”

And like that, many more trainees filled the space, whispers breaking out when the NU’EST entered the set, looking all foreboding and idol-like and again for real when two JYP Entertainment trainees made their appearance—Jackson and someone that had way too long a name to pronounce, a foreigner from Thailand or something. When that JYP logo had filled the screen, Taehyung could still remember the shocked gasps that had filled the air—entertainment gold really. Taehyung could see how everyone was looking at them part in fear, and part in envy. Of course, they would be the number one threat—NU’EST already had a fan base since they’d been active for a few years, successful or not, while the other two were the only ones from one of the big three, and on top of that, the number one contestant from the previous season was Jeon Somi, who was a JYP trainee and now was quickly turning out to be the nation’s next little sister, or something like that.

But was caught Taehyung’s attention, more than their already present idol-like aura and confidence, was how _funny_ they were. Especially that Jackson dude—he really knew how to work the cameras, and he was really loud, which would grow to be annoying in the future, maybe—not that _he_ has any room to speak about loudness and noise, but still—but that just meant more screen time because he just _demanded_ attention.

It was like the situation was finally settling in, how he really had an uphill battle to win.

There was a lull again after that, before the murmurs started up again at the logo of Brand New Music filling the screen. Taehyung frowned in confusion before turning to Jin. “Isn’t Brand New Music full of artists?”

Jin nodded. “I think this is the first time I’m hearing of idols from that company.”

Turning back to the entrance opening, he spotted four people walking out, dressed like they came from a hip-hop company, honestly. They already looked like idols though, and Taehyung couldn’t help but marvel at their overall image. Especially the one with the silver hair, even if he was looking cutely nervous. Looking back at the screen, he waited for the predicted rankings to come out and widened his eyes at the big, bold number one written underneath the picture of the guy that looked nervous.

_Huh_. Maybe with that confidence, the whole nervous thing was an act. You never know, here.

“ _Well_. It seems like I won’t be the most cursed out one anymore if someone’s written number one.” Taehyung whispered cheekily to Jin, who just looked worried as he stared at the group who was slowly making their way up.

“Yah, they already look like an idol group.” Jin whispered back, sighing.

“Hyung, don’t give up hope already! We haven’t even performed yet. Plus, most of them are, like, _really_ shor—” Taehyung fell quiet at the urgent look Jin shot him when the group unexpectedly took the vacant seats next to them, the one with the silver hair sitting right next to him.

Taehyung slowly peered at the silver-haired dude from the corner of his eyes before looking back to the front where the logo had changed again for independent trainees. It was slightly awkward and Taehyung had never strived in an awkward atmosphere—awkwardness was the death of extroverts, really.

Plus, he always did love to make friends. Connections, some pretentious people would say, and in this world, that _may_ be the right term to use, but how could he, who just liked to talk to people, call everyone he talked to a connection?

“Hi, I’m Taehyung, a trainee from Big Hit Entertainment and I’m twenty years old.” He introduced himself brightly, turning to the other guy smiling, and offered a hand out. “You’re a trainee from Brand New Music, yes?”

The other guy looked startled for a moment, turning to him in bewilderment, gaze flickering back and forth between his face and his hand before finally reaching out and grasping it lightly.

“Um, yeah. My name’s Park Jimin and I’m twenty too. It’s, um, nice to meet you too.” Jimin said softly, smiling a bit hesitantly at Taehyung, and Taehyung’s smile turned a but amused. This guy was a bit of the quiet type, but that was okay. He was loud enough for the both of them, he reckoned. All he had to do was make the other comfortable.

“That’s cool! We’re both 95 liners then.” Taehyung exclaimed, beaming, “Which month though? I’m born in December.”

“October.” Jimin replies, relaxing a little at the knowledge of the other being a same-aged person.

“Cool. You know, Jimin, your hands are like, really small.” Taehyung commented, turning the other guy’s hand this way and that in blatant fascination and Jimin’s face bloomed red, snatching his palm away and hiding it under his sleeves, like another version of sweater paws.

“Oh, don’t take what I say too seriously! I didn’t mean it in a bad way, I just have no brain-to-mouth filter.” Taehyung says with wide eyes, trying to look reassuring and earnest before pulling at his ears comically, “and to make it even, my ears are a little too huge, see? Now you know my weakness too.”

He even flaps them a few times, until Jimin’s face cracks into an amused smile.

“…You’re really weird.” Jimin finally states, smile growing at the other’s beam.

“Yeah, I am. I own that word, y’know.” Taehyung says proudly, finally letting his ears be.

“That’s really cool.” Jimin grins, running a small palm through his fluffy hair, “to not care what people think about you.”

“Meh, you just kinda have to take everything people say with a grain of salt.” Taehyung says, tipping his head back in thought and squinting when the lights on the ceiling practically blind him. “Like, dude, you look cool, but you’re really short. See what I mean? Things like that should just roll off your back. I mean, that was an example, but this time, it’s kinda also a fact, cause’ you really _are_ short.”

Taehyung nodded at the end of his rant solemnly, to emphasize the truth of the fact.

“ _Yah_! I’m your hyung, you brat!”

“You’re older than me by just two months!”

“Still counts! I’m older!”

“I am _not_ calling you hyung, short-stuff.”

“ _Ugh_ , the disres _pect_.”

They share a grin, and thus was the start of a beautiful, if vastly complicated, friendship.

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* * *

 

 

Evaluations were nerve-wracking as hell, and the absence of an A rank until now was really starting to get on his nerves. But that was _nothing_ compared to how jittery Jimin was, that was for sure. The boy was literally bouncing on his seat, all his nails and the skin around them already sort of chewed out.

“Dude, stop panicking so much.” Taehyung said gently, only to have a lapful of panicky Jimin before the boy was back up again, running his hands through his hair. One thing Taehyung had learnt quickly about the other, was that once you open him up, the guy was as prone to skinship as Taehyung tended to be. It was awesome, really, and it worked wonders for their growing friendship.

“I can’t! What if I screw up? I _can’t_ face the CEO with anything lesser than an A Taehyungie, I can’t.” Jimin whined softly. “And no one’s even gotten an A yet, while I can say for sure that by this time, at least three to four had gotten an A in the girls’ season.”

At that, Taehyung raised an eyebrow—just how seriously did Jimin watch the show to know that for sure?—and Jimin blinked. “What? All of us had to watch the first season and monitor the assignments and the performances and stuff. That’s why I know everything. Nothing else.”

Taehyung just raised his other eyebrow as well, and after a beat of just staring at each other, Jimin deflated.

“…I had a crush on Chungha.”

“ _There_ we go.” Taehyung smirked and Jimin glared.

“Whatever, but it helps me now. And I know it never took this long to find an A. It’s making me nervous, like it’s absolutely unattainable or something.” Jimin muttered, looking back at the glittering stage, and Taehyung frowned slightly. All of his panicking was making him nervous as well, because while Jimin might be a little too freaked, he had a point—just how high were the judges’ standards?

Because at this point, A seemed like a far-off dream if their expectations were this _high_.

“The next trainee, please come on out.” Boa’s voice called out and there was a shift in the air that had Taehyung peering at the stage in confusion, wondering why everyone had suddenly become more alert, all of a sudden.

And it was in the midst of this tense air that the trainee stepped out, and Taehyung had to catch his breath a bit, because _damn_ , this boy was a looker. And he wasn’t talking face-wise, because he was a little too far for him to make out the face properly, but as a whole package—height, muscles, leather jacket and white t-shirt with ripped jeans and timberlands—it was all working for him. And when the guy ran his hand through his hair, revealing his forehead for a brief moment before the strands messily fell in place, Taehyung couldn’t stop staring.

Then he was projected on screen, and now he knew the guy _was_ a looker face-wise too. Good to know.

He also had this _aura_ about him, a sort of confidence that was part intimidating, part inspiring, like he knew exactly what he was doing on that stage. But Taehyung could see a sort of vulnerability on his face as well as the guy kept on glancing away from the judges’ table more often than not, making him seem younger than he looked, and it was all so intriguing.

“Hello, I’m Jeon Jungkook and I’m an independent trainee. Please look after me well.”

Jin gasped beside him and Taehyung whipped around to look at him, Jimin looking over as well, equally confused at the attention the independent trainee was getting. “What? What is it, hyung? Do you know who he is or something?”

“…I think he’s that trainee who made a name for getting a lot of offers from entertainment companies after auditioning for Superstar K. Remember? There was a rumour going around about that. And that he turned down all of them, for some reason.” Jin said, looking at Taehyung, “I think even Big Hit had sent him an offer, but he turned it down.”

“…Seriously?” Taehyung was sceptical, and now he looked down at this Jungkook guy warily. Why would someone who wanted to make it as an idol turn down all those offers if he got them? That just sounded crazy. And he even turned down Big Hit? Taehyung knew that wasn’t really a reasonable reason to look upon someone unfavourably, but he couldn’t help that small seed of dislike wiggling its way into his opinion of the boy simply because he’d rejected his own _small_ company.

“I heard he’d even gotten an offer from SM Entertainment.” Jimin voiced from beside him and Taehyung turned to stare at him. “You know of him too?”

“I mean, I’ve heard rumours too. It becomes news when an unknown person gets offers from like eight entertainment companies, especially from one of the big three as well, and then turn it _down_.” Jimin reasons, and Taehyung’s eyebrows furrow at how focused Jimin looked at the moment, staring at Jungkook’s face on the screen. It was like he was recognizing his rival, a sort of spark in his eyes, and Taehyung just glanced between the screen and Jimin’s face with an odd look.

Was he supposed to be this focused too? Because more than fear or anything like that at the prospect of a really strong candidate, all he could feel was interest.

In a purely platonic, participant-to-participant kind of way, of course.

When the music blasted all around, Taehyung snapped out of his thoughts and focused back on the stage, wanting to see what all the hype was about.

And then his mind was _blown_.

Not literally, of course, though that would’ve made for some good TV, but figuratively? Taehyung’s soul may have just left his body, because what _couldn’t_ this boy do?

He sang a rendition of Justin Bieber’s What Do You Mean, all the while dancing to it with what looked like his own choreography, and then the beat of the song just changed abruptly, which gave way for him to dance, and he can _dance_. He could dance in that easy way that one just had to be born with—the ease couldn’t just be _learnt_ , and it was clear to see. The beats then seamlessly transitioned back to the song, with Jungkook going back to his singing—still stable and controlled, and he ended it with pulling his shirt up a bit, teasingly, and Taehyung could hear the squeals from Boa and Kahi and all the other women even from up here, because those abs spoke for themselves.

He really couldn’t judge the women for squealing over a boy just half their age.

Because Taehyung may or may not have replayed that scene in his mind again and again in his mind.

The applause after that performance was the loudest, and it was clear to see why.

It was clear to see the _talent_ , because this Jeon Jungkook was just dripping of it, golden and shining.

“…Er, excuse me, but is it possible if I could dance again? I wasn’t able to properly dance right now…” Jungkook’s soft voice broke through the applause that was dying down, and Taehyung’s eyes widened in slight incredulity because if _that_ was not dancing well, then what exactly was?

Because then everything he ever knew was a lie.

“Is that what you think is not dancing well?” Boa questioned, and Taehyung whole-heartedly agreed. How much did a guy need to show off, really?

“Just one more chance.” The guy tried once more, and the judges agreed, calling for a track at random. Justin Timberlake’s Murder blasted from the speakers and after a few seconds of trying to find the beat, Jungkook started freestyling and Taehyung could hear the undertones starting once again.

How can Taehyung _not_ acknowledge the guy after this? That’d just be plain stupid. And when the judges finally declared Independent Trainee Jeon Jungkook an _A_ ranker, no one was surprised in any way. In fact, now the stakes were higher than ever, because this guy—who had no company backing him at all—had just set the bench mark to get into the A class.

Jimin was completely rigid in his seat as he tracked Jungkook’s movements with his eyes, as were many others who now saw the guy as a serious threat. And really, Taehyung should’ve been focused on that as well, because he was a participant in the same survival show, but instead?

Instead, Taehyung was still looking at Jungkook’s jawline because it looked like it could cut _glass_.

He shook his head, sighing exaggeratedly, waving off Jin’s concerned expression. If only the elder knew what was currently running around in his head.

God, he was pathetic.

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* * *

 

 

In the end, Taehyung got a C rank while Jin got a D rank. They had performed TVXQ’s Hug, and while the judges had liked his voice and especially praised his facial expressions and stage presence, they had found his dance to be lacking and not enough stability in his voice, and so, C it was.

It’d be a lie to say he wasn’t disappointed—they had practiced a lot for this, after all—he was more sorry about the fact that he hadn’t represented his company well. But if there was one thing Taehyung was, it was optimistic. He had talent, he knew that. He just had to keep on believing in it throughout and just strive to be better. C isn’t that far from A, anyway. It’s totally possible. And he knows that in the next evaluation, he’ll do better and represent Big Hit in the way it deserves and make everyone proud back there.

Jimin shot a smile at him as they made their way back, and maybe the smile was well-intentioned, but all Taehyung could see was the curve of his pink lips just swimming in sticky sympathy, and _that_ was the first time he saw the other through the tinted glasses of a competitor as well.

“Hey, you did good.” Jimin whispered at him as he sat down, and Taehyung rolled his eyes, smile slightly bitter.

“Could’ve done better.”

Jimin just made a noncommittal sound. “You did better than most though. C isn’t that far from A, you know.”

Taehyung noticed how Jimin was still occasionally glancing at Jungkook—who was sitting in the seat Jeon Somi had sat in last season, which was a declaration in itself, really—and pursed his lips slightly.

“I know.” Taehyung winced as the words came out with a bit more emphasis than he’d wanted, but it got Jimin to snap his gaze back to him, a different look creeping his eyes as he stared at him, but it was gone as soon as it came.

A beat.

“…As long as you know, Tae.”

He should’ve just taken those words as they were, and not overanalysed them, but he couldn’t help but feel the other was saying it with something more than just selfless intentions. It was the first time Jimin’s ambition had come to the forefront while talking to him.

Was it weird how Taehyung still saw Jimin as more of a budding friend than a competitor?

Taehyung yawned as time passed, each second seemingly dragging on until forever. There was a lethargic feeling looming over the whole set now, shooting going on for almost twelve hours now with limited breaks. All the lights, the congested feeling of how a hundred and ten people plus all the staff and trainers in one area was slowly but surely making him start to lose his mind.

And he just wanted to _sleep_. It was seriously hard trying to hide yawns all the time. Normally he wouldn’t really care if the cameras caught him making one of those derp faces he always does, but he’d promised Bang-PD and Hoseok hyung that he’d at least _try_ and reign in the weird faces and unflattering shots on the first day, so.

It was when the logo on the screen flashed to Brand New Music, that Taehyung finally got alert, shaking the sleep still clinging onto him and whipping around to stare at the frozen person beside him.

“It’s finally your turn!” Taehyung whispered excitedly, but Jimin was still slightly frozen, so he took it upon himself to whack him on his arm roughly.

Jimin hissed, finally moving. “ _What_ was that for?”

“So that you’ll actually get up and perform? Stop being a frozen popsicle and go! I wanna go home already.” Taehyung whined, rolling his eyes, but then shot a smile at the other, one he hoped was at least slightly reassuring.

Jimin’s glare softened, and his lips twitched to something resembling a smile—Taehyung really didn’t want to point out that it looked a little too ugly and misshapen to be a smile—and breathed out loudly, before shuffling his way below.

“Best of luck!” Taehyung whisper-screamed, and grinned in amusement when Jimin sent a finger heart his way, not caring about all the stares that got him. However, for a moment when he finally glanced down, his eyes locked with Jungkook’s intense gaze and he immediately stilled.

The feeling was like being put on the spot for something he wasn’t even prepared for, all that attention just on him, and Taehyung could only stare back, a tingly sensation rushing down his back.

Jungkook on the other hand, looked slightly flustered when he got caught staring, eyes slightly widening, and immediately whipped around, back ramrod straight.

Taehyung raised an eyebrow in puzzlement as he stared at his back, the ice from the abruptness melting off and limbs regaining movement easily after seeing how flustered the other had gotten—hell, Jungkook’s back looked tense as hell from here. Was he flustered for getting caught staring? Taehyung squinted as he noticed the red on the back of Jungkook’s ears peeking through his hair and his lips slowly quirked up in amusement.

That was…

Oddly adorable for a person that seemed to take a one-eighty degree turn on the stage.

Heavy bass filtered out in the set and Taehyung immediately looked at the stage, cute boys with charismatic personas all but forgotten as his eyes zoom in on Jimin.

The thing with _Jimin’s_ performance, was that it clearly highlighted just how ready Jimin and his whole group was for the whole competition. They already looked like an idol group for sure, what with their colourful hair, edgy clothes, and in-sync choreography. Their facial expressions were on point, and with each pop to every hard-hitting beat, they surely edged their way towards the gold.

The acrobatics in their dance was just the cherry on top.

Well, that, and Jimin’s _insane_ high note.

Their group of four, by the end of it, had definitely impressed the judges, especially when they found out one of the members had composed the song themselves while Jimin had choreographed the dance from start to end. They got two A’s and two B’s, with the composer and Jimin snatching the A’s, and now everyone had two new people to be absolutely wary of.

When Jimin made his way back up to his seat after giving the short interview backstage, all crinkled crescent eyes and wide smiles, Taehyung couldn’t help but beam back enthusiastically even with his stomach rolling unpleasantly, clapping the smaller on the back.

“ _Yah_ , you better not forget about me now that you’re an A.” Taehyung joked.

Jimin just laughed, rolling his eyes, happiness rolling off him in waves. “Please, like that’ll happen.”

Taehyung started to gesture wildly. “I’m serious! You say that now, but once you start to get all the special treatment, we may not see each other much.”

“Well, then, maybe you should hurry up and join me up here.” Jimin said, glancing at him with a smirk, and Taehyung fell silent.

He knew the other was just joking, and didn’t really mean it in a condescending way or anything. But Taehyung knew if he was already starting to doubt people’s words when the competition hadn’t even officially started, then it’s just going to get harder and harder as it progresses. This was, in a way, mental torture to a level.

Taehyung didn’t really want to look at the other as a threat.

He really didn’t.

It just sucks that he may have to.

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	2. Episode Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taehyung's interest increases.

 

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Taehyung stared at the paper in his hands with the lyrics to the newest theme song printed in stark, dark ink. It was peppy, it was poppy, and its tone was damn high—everything you would expect from a song supposed to cover up the dubious morality of this hunger games-esque show, he figured. It was the same with season one, so why would this one be any different, anyway?

And of course, that familiar EDM element. Though if he was being completely honest, season one’s dance break was a little bit more fun than this one.

He wondered if the viewers—no, the _national producers,_ can see through the colourful haze and the bright sparkly lyrics to sense the utmost desperation and rawness to their voices when they sing it’s me, pick me! Because that’s what it’s going to be boiled down to in their voices—from the amount everyone will have to practice until their throats bleed raw and the veins in their neck and temples throb to hit those notes many are not naturally capable of reaching. It’s already started, Taehyung knew, as he looked around at the myriad of colours according to their rank scattered all around as everyone tries their best to sing something resembling the chorus but just falling short of it. the dissonant notes and the cracking voices creating a jarring soundscape all around, not at all pleasant to be around. Add the noise of talking, laughter and the whirring of cameras and machines, it was all just a cacophony of clatter.

“ _Oneul bam—_ ” Taehyung started softly, wanting to get a feel of the melody first, trying to block out the rest of the noise as much as possible. “ _Oneul bam jengongeun naya na, naya—!_ ”

He winced as his voice cracked, the tone veering off into something sharp. The boy beside him—Sungjae from Cube Entertainment, from what he remembered from the awkward introductions that went around in the C class dorm room, winced along with him, sending him an understanding glance.

“Too high?” Sungjae asked, sounding resigned to the fact and Taehyung just raised his eyebrows before deflating, glancing back at the page. “…I guess. I think I didn’t warm up enough, actually.”

“ _I_ think they’re just expecting way too much from all of us in the first day itself.” Sungjae muttered, smiling ironically.

Taehyung blinked. “But if they didn’t expect anything, how can we prove that we deserve to debut?” 

“…That’s true.” Sungjae mused, scrunching up his face in solemn agreement, and Taehyung cracked a smile at that. The paler boy grinned in response, sliding a little bit closer. “Let’s try it one more time, then.”

Taehyung nodded, turning more serious. He focused on the words, tuning out the rest of the sounds. He knew he _could_ hit those notes if he really tried; He had always been proud of his vocal range, since while his technique could use a lot of work, no one could deny the range his voice had, from the lowest notes to the highest.

Glancing at the encouraging smile on the other, Taehyung took a deep breath. “ _Onuel bam jengonguen na—_!” Fuck, cracked again. Just don’t think too much, he told himself, no one’s watching.

“ _Onuel bam jengonguen naya na, naya na~ nomanuel gidaryeo naya na, naya na~”_

Opening his eyes, Taehyung focused on Sungjae’s surprised one and he could feel himself start to feel a little bashful, before the other let out a breathless laugh, patting him on the back. “Whoa dude, you did it! You hit it!”

Taehyung grinned wide, not really paying mind to how some of the other trainees had turned to look at who had sang just now. Instead, he just laughed along with Sungjae, gladly acquiescing to practising together when the other asked to sing lines along with him, a little bit of the doubt fading as his confidence slightly rose.

When the instructors announced that they were now about to hear the trainees sing according to rank, Taehyung and Sungjae’s little bubble popped. The A rank trainees, all eye-catching in their pink shirts right at the front, huddled together in front of the instructors, with all other trainees giving them a wide berth. He could see how almost everyone was straining to see them, expectations alight in their faces, and Taehyung wondered for the first time if maybe being placed in the A rank isn’t all it’s made to be if so much pressure is placed on brittle shoulders right from the get go. Even he couldn’t deny he was expecting _something_ from these top-tier trainees just because of the pink of their shirts.

Taehyung strained to catch a glimpse of Jimin, not having had a chance to talk to the Busan native since they’d moved to the dorms, and he couldn’t help but miss the other. A little bit. It was in vain though, since all he could see was his pale silvery-blonde head of hair from his spot. But even from here he could see how the shorter guy was fidgeting in place a little, and rolled his eyes with a smile. Was the guy ever still?

“I feel like they’ll do really well.” Sungjae muttered lowly to him, and Taehyung just shrugged noncommittally, making a face. Taehyung had gradually opened up a lot more after finding out Sungjae was the same age as him, and was glad to be making friends in this competition, knowing it was important if he didn’t want to feel lonely in this less-than-joyful space and as such, had stopped caring about hiding his emotions.

“Maybe.”

Taehyung’s gaze flickered from each A rank trainee, eyes stopping on another trainee that had initially caught his interest—Jeon Jungkook. He was standing a bit farther away from the rest of them, the space even if not big, still noticeable. He frowned slightly, wondering if there was already discord between the trainees there, or if this Jeon Jungkook person just thought of himself as better than the others. Or maybe he was just shy, and took time to open up to others and just felt uncomfortable.

Abruptly, Jungkook’s eyes flickered up to meet his dead-on, intense, focused and dark, and Taehyung felt like he was tasered, the way electricity zapped at his spine, crackling in the air between them. It was very reminiscent of the unintentional contact they had during the evaluations, and he could feel his breath hitch slightly at the force of it all. But what was interesting even now, was how _Jungkook_ was the one that broke the eye-contact, head ducking down in a sudden, self-conscious way that made something strange bubble up in Taehyung’s chest.

He finally let out the breath that was clogged in his throat, deflating now that whatever that was, was over very noticeable. He vaguely registered Sungjae asking if he was okay and wondered what exactly he looked like for the other to sound concerned. He waved it away with a somewhat strained grin, giving a thumbs up, but still couldn’t resist the urge to look over at the other’s direction a few more times discreetly. He couldn’t help but wonder if this would happen each time they make eye-contact.

Because at this rate, Taehyung may very well get addicted to this heady feeling, and he hadn’t even spoken to the other boy yet.

“Let’s see the A class first.”

The eight trainees went through the chorus without much problems, but still, Taehyung couldn’t help but feel there was something lacking there. And from the looks from all the others, he knew others thought the same. Somehow, the air in the area felt a little more filled with a buzz that wasn’t there prior to that, almost as if everyone’s confidence went up a notch at seeing how the A class wasn’t surprisingly _all that._

“Huh. Maybe we have a chance after all.” Sungjae mumbled, going straight back to practising.

Taehyung just caught a flash of Jimin from the corner of his eyes before the other disappeared, and instead looked at the B group that was next to showcase their group singing. “Yeah, we definitely have a chance, Sungjae. Ranks can be changed, you know that.”

When it was finally the C class’ turn to sing, Taehyung could feel the nerves sizzling at the pit of his stomach, and turned at the wild flailing in his peripheral vision. It was Jimin, waving wildly, and once the shorter one saw he had caught Taehyung’s attention, he gave a double thumbs up with a bright smile, and it lightened Taehyung’s mood considerably, beaming back. A nudge from his side brought him back however, and he tried his level best to sing through the entire chorus without cracking his voice or wavering much. At the end of it, Shin Yoo-mi seongsaeng-nim had caught his eye and given him an approving smile, and Taehyung could feel his cheeks heating up at the acknowledgement, an unexplainable joy leaving him feeling almost weightless. He always did thrive on the compliments and acknowledgements from his seniors and instructors—hell, he still remembered the way he was grinning foolishly for two days just because Namjoon had ruffled his hair. Of course, that was before he’d found out about how much of a dork he was in general and how pathetically whipped he was for Jin.

He could feel someone burning a hole through the back of his head, that unexplainable feeling of just knowing when someone was staring at you deeply, how goose flesh erupts at the back of his neck and the tingle at the side of his face.

The urge to look up and confront was strong, but Taehyung simply but his lips and endured it, because if it _was_ who he thought it was, he didn’t think he had the capacity to look away this time.

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“How’s training been going?” Taehyung asked once they managed to find a decent table at the corner of the room. He’d actually wanted to find Jin, but once he’d spotted the older amidst a lot of green, he figured to best just let it be for now. He’ll go annoy the elder later for sure. Jimin just sighed loudly, falling into his seat in a dramatic heap.

“I think I’ll die soon.” Jimin wails, and Taehyung snorts, shaking his head at the other’s earnest look. “No, I’m serious, Taetae. You know how much they expect from us just because we happened to wear pink? It’s ridiculous. Making even one mistake seems like the end of the world from the way they look at us. You should’ve seen the way Kwon seonsaeng-nim looked at me when one of my hands were out of position. I’m gonna have nightmares.” He shudders, before grimacing at the packet of nuts in his hand. “Ugh, what fresh hell is this crap?”

“Yeah, well, I wouldn’t completely know about the pressure I guess. But god, Jiminie, the dance is too hard. Why is it so fast? It’s too fast, I can’t get some of the steps down.” Taehyung mumbles, biting down into the bread, and fights the urge to grimace as well—it was like chewing cardboard.

Jimin looks up. “Oh, I don’t find the dance that hard.” At Taehyung’s look, Jimin laughs. “What? I’ve done harder choreo, so it’s not much. But if you want, I’ll help you with some of the steps during self-practice time. Or maybe at the dorms, you can come up to mine since I only have two other roommates.”

“Really? That’d be great, I really need to get the dance down before tomorrow’s evaluation.” He sighs in relief, flashing a bright, grateful smile at the other, before something catches his attention. “Wait, you only have two other roommates?”

“Mm, yeah. There’s only eight A rank trainees, remember?” And the pride in Jimin’s voice as he says this was unmistakeable, making Taehyung want to shrink down a little, the pink of his shirt suddenly a lot more eye-catching than his neon yellow C class one, which was a little ridiculous, because the C class shirts were brighter than the freaking sun. “So, there’s two rooms for the A class, and I luckily happened to be placed in the one that’s occupied by three. Why? How many do you have?”

“I have four roommates, so five in the room in total.” He mumbled, picking at the mush on his tray with his chopsticks idly. “It’s not so bad though. They seem nice, and I actually talked to one of the guys I’m rooming with, Sungjae? He’s pretty cool.”

“Yah, you better not be replacing me already.” Jimin said, pointing a chopstick at him with a mock-offended face, making Taehyung smile amusedly.

“Yeah right, like I can replace you, you small mochi.” He teased, delighting in Jimin’s high pitched ‘brat!’. “But how’s the A class really? The other trainees and all?”

Jimin hummed in thought, looking around the cafeteria as if trying to find which trainee to speak about first. “Well, there’s Jackson-hyung, who’s a riot really. He speaks in cantonese and English sometimes to talk slack about the instructors behind their backs. It’s really funny. Then there’s Sungwoo—”

Taehyung nodded along, smiling along in the right places, before eventually his attention zeroed in on the strange discolorations in his food. Was this even safe to eat? He knew he should’ve doubled up on his snacks in his carrier before coming here. Now he’ll have to wait until the end of the day to get some from the convenience store outside the CJ E&M building. Man, he’d kill to have soe ramyun and sausages right now. Or a hamburger. Yeah, a hamburger and maybe japchae—

“—And then there’s Jeon Jungkook.”

And like that, Taehyung’s attention went right back to Jimin, japchae long forgotten.

“Jungkook? The kid that got the first A this season, right?” he asked, hoping with everything that his voice came out as nonchalant as his thoughts weren’t. Which means it should’ve been very nonchalant, and judging by the unassuming look on Jimin’s face at the question, he thinks he might’ve pulled it off after all.

“Yeah. He has a nickname in the training room too—the Golden Maknae, since he’s the youngest and he can do everything perfectly.” Jimin’s voice was just the slightest bitter as he said it, poking the peas on his tray with just a smidgen more force, and Taehyung looked on, slightly wide-eyed.

“…But the evaluations haven’t even begun yet. How is everyone revering him already?”

“You should see the way the instructors sing him praises, Tae. It’s like they already see him as the Produce 101 centre or something. It kinda pisses me off. Not like the rest of us are slacking off or anything, you know?” Jimin says, rolling his eyes slightly.

No, I don’t know, Taehyung wanted to say, but he didn’t really know how that would go over with the other boy. Also, he hasn’t really been subjected to such blatant favouritism in this show till now, so maybe it’d be best to just stay quiet. But still, for some reason, he still found himself wanting to defend the other boy even without knowing anything about him.

He internally sighed—what was wrong with him?

“Well, have you talked to him at all? Tried to befriend him or something? Maybe he has his own pressures too, you know.” Taehyung finally pushes the tray away, noticing how half the cafeteria had cleared out already.

Jimin scoffed lightly. “He always stays away. Even when we have to practise as a group or whatever, he always stays in his corner. I mean, he’s not rude or anything. If anything, he’s polite to a fault, but still. It’s not like I haven’t tried talking to him, but he just—seems to prefer his own company.”

Taehyung frowned, thinking back to how he saw the boy standing further away from the rest of his rank mates even during group practice. “…Maybe he’s just shy?”

“Yeah. Maybe.” Jimin says half-heartedly, before pinning him with a look that has him freezing on the spot. “Wait a minute, why are you so interested in Jungkook anyway? You almost seemed zoned out when I was talking about the others, but I mention Jungkook and it’s like you’ve awoken from the dead.” He squints suspiciously, leaning closer over the table.

“I—I was just curious about the person who got the first A, that’s all.” Taehyung sputtered, throwing a tissue wad at the other that was easily swatted away. “Anyone would be. After all, _this is a competition_.”

Jimin blinked at the impromptu Jessi impersonation, before bursting into laughter. “Man, your English sounds horrible!”

Taehyung scowled, flicking a pea at the other before standing up. “Whatever, mochi. Like you’re any better.”

“Ah, but that’s why I don’t try to speak it.” Jimin says, acting sagely before bursting into giggles all over again. Taehyung only shakes his head in mock-exasperation, but inside, he was willing the quivering to stop, thanking the gods that Jimin was easily distracted.

For some reason, he didn’t really want anyone to find out about his weird interest in this Jeon Jungkook guy just yet. Not even Jimin.

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Taehyung stared at the camera placed smack dab in the middle of the practice room, lens focused on the Produce 101 background, just waiting for the next trainee to position themselves in front of it and mess up.

To think, even that member form Nu’est—Hwang Minhyun, messed up in front of the camera, seemingly blanking out at the sight of the lens, and if an already debuted idol, one who should’ve been used to the sight of cameras all around him, botched his evaluation, what hope did he, a fledgling trainee, have of doing good? Oh God, and the way the resignation settled into the guy’s bones after he realised he’d already missed a cue, the way the light in his eyes shuttered out, it was horrible to even watch.

He winced at how his legs were cramping up from sitting on the floor in the same position for who knows how long, keeping his eyes on the sea of yellow all around him, the nervous air all over only worsening as each second passes by. Sungjae was right beside him but the guy was so quiet, he very well may not have even been there. His evaluation hadn’t gone perfectly, but it definitely wasn’t the worst one here, so he probably won’t be moved down. But no matter how much he tried to reassure the other about it, he just stayed quiet, mulling over it. It worried Taehyung, to be quite honest, because in the limited time they had together, they’d become close very fast, and the other was like a happy vitamin for the most part, so when he was acting like this, Taehyung already knew it was out of character for him.

“Yah. Sungjae-ah. Stop over-thinking it.” Taehyung tried again, bending down to whisper it. “You did well, better than most here.”

“…I could’ve done better.” Finally, Sungjae mumbled into his sleeve, still not looking up.

“I’m pretty sure everyone must be thinking that about their own performance. Doesn’t mean you keep on thinking about what if’s. And I know that’s what you’re doing.” He sighed, pinning him with a look.

“Man, I just—hope I won’t get sent to the lower ranks.”

“You won’t.” Taehyung assured, clapping his back firmly, before glancing at the next trainee to go through the evaluations. There were about twenty something in the C class, and it’s been more than two hours since the evaluations started. To be honest, he didn’t really know why he was so unsettled by the situation—what did he expect from a survival program, anyway? This wasn’t even that extreme, to be honest. At least, it wasn’t the live voting evaluations or anything yet. And performing in front of a camera for evaluations wasn’t anything new either for any trainee; all trainees had to go through this on a regular basis, whether to check their own performances or for others to evaluate your progress—every facial expression, every extra breath expelled, every twitch of the limbs that was a millisecond off-beat, all of it was scrutinized through the lens of the camera.

But instinctively, an answer came unbounded into his mind at the question—it was the sheer number crammed together with the same goal fed to every mind. Which, rationally speaking, isn’t that different from what happens at companies either. But the difference was, at the companies, everyone had a hope of debuting; sure, some may debut before the others and some may find more success than others, but the bottom line was, the company will most probably push them for debut, while here, it was guaranteed that ninety trainees were going to get eliminated, hopes of debuting through this platform vanishing right before their eyes.

The stakes were higher than ever here, no one can afford to slack off, even a little bit. There were so many things to compete over too—ranks, looks, popularity, positions and mainly, screen time. With such immense pressure, it wasn’t ever a surprise how some of the weaker trainees had already started breaking down, whether it be because of the immensely-fast choreography, too high toned song, or even the unnerving glare of the cameras set up everywhere.

“Kim Taehyung, You’re up next.”

Taehyung starts, blinking blankly at the PD that announced his name, before a harsh poke at his side made him stumble up towards the front, positioning himself in front of the camera, right over the X made on the floor with duct tape.

Staring at the lens, he gulped loudly, flashes of his practice flickering in the back of his mind incessantly and he bowed in greeting. “Hello National Producers! My name is Kim Taehyung.”

After a moment, the starting notes of the song boomed out of the speakers, the vibrations of the bass felt through the wooden floor, and Taehyung could feel the numerous stares on his back. Paying that no mind, he just let his body go on auto-pilot. He finds he dances best when he doesn’t actively think about his next move. After that, everything seems to fall into place, the evaluation over before he could even process it, and as the PD motions for him to move out of the frame, he bows hurriedly and scurries over to his spot, bowing again and again to the trainees that send him smiles.

“How’d I do?” Taehyung asks worriedly, biting his lip, “I completely blanked out once the song started.”

“You did really good, Tae.” Sungjae says, patting his hair with a smile.

“Really?” He inquires, still worrying his lips and working to get his breathing less heavy than it was—the dance was really no joke, and he knew if he kept dancing to it, he’s going to get some serious calf muscles soon.

“Really. You sang really well. And your expressions were good.” Sungjae affirms. “I think you may move up actually.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that.” And Taehyung wasn’t just saying that either—he knows for a fact that he’d missed a beat in the beginning, and he had lost control on his pitch by the end, even though he’d mostly rectified it. And he was panting way too heavily too sing his absolute best. And he knew he couldn’t take Sungjae’s words as the holy truth either; he could’ve just been saying that to make him feel better about the whole thing. Taehyung wouldn’t even be surprised or disappointed if that was the case really, because wasn’t that what he was doing to Sungjae as well? Telling him his performance was great when it was only good?

In fact, even if he can’t truly believe Sungjae’s words, he still appreciates them—because some people need to hear little white lies once in a while when the world around is only always brutally, sometimes crushingly honest. In such an environment, sadly enough, little white lies like these were the tethers of hope they had, however bleak.

Once the gruelling evaluations were over, Taehyung made his way to one of the practice rooms after declining Sungjae’s invite to eat, wanting to get the dance down even more. Taehyung could feel his eyelids, as heavy as they were since he hadn’t really slept the day before, practice gone up until four in the morning, but he figured it’d be better to practise now and get it perfect for the live recording of it now than staying awake all night again.

However, it seemed he wasn’t the only one who had the same idea—there were about six other trainees in the studio, spread out. Some were in the corners with earphones plugged in, while others were going through the dance routine.

And one of them was Jeon Jungkook.

Of course, Taehyung’s eyes zoomed onto him, at the way the boy’s eyes were laser-focused at his own reflection as he moved, scrutinizing each and every movement with precision. Realizing he was basically ogling the other, he hastily looked away, moving to the other side of the room. He was the only A class trainee here, Taehyung noticed belatedly, frowning slightly at the thought of the other trainee still isolating himself from his peers.

Well, not that he can say much at the moment about that—since he’d come to practice alone too. But his was a choice, and for some godforsaken, he just didn’t believe this Jungkook person’s segregation was by choice. Once again, his eyes flickered to the other’s form, at the way each step held such force, such power, at the way the muscles rippled at each movement, at the way every roll and every turn was controlled, rigid, but somehow still fluid. It was something else to watch altogether. If anything, he only needed to work on his expressions, instead of just sticking to one—the classic broody glare. But then again, it was definitely working for him, so who knows. Or maybe it was just working on Taehyung, specifically, but as soon as that thought came to, he flushed, wincing at his not so appropriate thoughts.

Okay, sitting here was neither helping him practice, nor to relax. Evidently.

So, Taehyung bounded over to where the higher-ranking trainee was practicing solo a little hesitantly, taking place a few steps behind the other. The moment his reflection appeared behind the other’s, Jungkook’s eyes locked onto his through the mirror instantly, making him still a bit before shaking the nerves off. There was nothing to be anxious about, after all, This was practice, that’s all.

“Um, do you mind if I run through the choreography too?” Taehyung asked with a sheepish smile, fidgeting slightly in place, but as the seconds ticked by without any clear response, his smile faltered.

“…Is that a no, or…?” He continued, but he might as well have been talking to air. But then Jungkook shrugged, a miniscule movement he might’ve missed had he not been looking closely, and Taehyung let out a breath he’d been holding, smiling wide.

“I’m Taehyung, by the way.” He introduced himself, getting himself into position, not really expecting any response to that, and like hell was he going to say he already knew the other’s name. He had his pride. Kind of.

“I know.”

His voice was soft, breathy, and that response was something that was not at all expected, and Taehyung just stared at the other, stupefied. But Jungkook had already turned, going through the motions of the dance without a care in the world. Or it would’ve seemed that way if Taehyung hadn’t spotted the tell-tale reddening of the back of Jungkook’s ears, something that he was beginning to see as synonymous to Jungkook.

Letting out a soft breath, Taehyung decided to just not think confusing thoughts and easily fell into the rhythm. He may not have the power or the force behind his moves at the movement, but he’d always prided himself in the way he could just fall into the music without overthinking things—maybe because he’s not specializing in dance, but it always worked for him. There were still a few hiccups he had to fix though, and as he looked at his reflection, he wondered how he’d be able to get that footwork after the beat drop down—

“You should stop a bit, before spinning.”

Taehyung looked up at the mirror, blinking. “What?”

“Just—you’re spinning without a stop, that’s why you’re missing that beat. And if you hold you body down for a second, you’ll have enough momentum to do it without pausing for a breath.” Jungkook elaborated quietly, looking a little flustered, before sighing in frustration. “Look. Just—follow what I’m doing. Do this, stop, hold, spin, one, two, three, four, hold. Got it?”

Jungkook turned at that, looking at him in that slightly bashful way that made something twist in Taehyung, the boy’s expression so subdued even after practically going through the steps with him in the way he did, especially since he didn’t even have to, and Taehyung just simply couldn’t understand exactly what this guy was.

But all he knew was this guy who was apparently so ignorant and arrogant, just helped him without any prompting or reason. And for that, Taehyung beamed at the other brightly, making Jungkook blink in bewilderment.

“I think I got it. Thanks. Jungkook.”

Jungkook just stared wide-eyed, still looking a bit disoriented, before the corners of his lips twitched, turning back around before the other could see it, but Taehyung just looked at his back amusedly, wondering if the younger forgot he was basically facing a mirror now and he could definitely see the smile breaking out, making him seem so much more younger.

As he danced along with Jungkook, nothing more said between them, Taehyung wondered if he should just accept that maybe his pride’s never going to make much of an appearance in front of this kid.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you guys watch the produce 101 season 2 finale? DID YOU?  
> Because if you did, you would know that both Samuel and Jonghyun did not make it into the final eleven, And Jihoon is not the centre TT  
> AT first, I was disappointed when Jihoon placed second and Daniel came first, even though Daniel is the sweetest and he's very loveable, but I really wanted Jihoon, the master of facial expressions, to be the centre. So I was being petty about that.
> 
> But after seeing how Samuel and Jonghyun did not get into the final 11, when basically everyone thought they were such shoo-ins, it was absolutely devastating. Like my heart fell to my feet. Which wasn't really orecedented for me, cuz I wasn't even a big fan of Samuel. In fact, I only grew find of him after seeing his interactions with Jihoon, but I could never deny the charm and talent he has. And Jonghyun should've rightfully been then groups leader.  
> This isn't to say that I'm pettily angry at any of the current members, because ha sungwoons revival was the single most shocking twist of all and he really deserved it, but the whole things was just so bittersweet.
> 
> Let me know of your thought about this season!  
> And of course, the chapter!


	3. Episode Three: Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The center selection and everything that follows.

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Taehyung looks at the new set they’d all been brought to, this massive space with quartered sections with steps for seats and the glossy circular platform right in the middle of it all and how the entire set is black with the harsh white lights acting like a theater productions tacky version of stars in the night sky. But, more than all of that, he looks around at the trainees now settling down on their designated rows in the hierarchy, at who’d gotten a new ranking based on their first re-evaluation. He fidgeted with his own brand new orange sweatshirt, the dulled down colour a welcome, if slightly odd relief from the bright eyesore that was the C class uniform. It shouldn’t be that weird changing sweatshirts, really, since he’d only been wearing it for a week at the max. The material’s definitely the same too. And it’s awesome that he’d gotten to level up from C to B, but for some reason, it’ll still take some more time to get used to the colour, he thinks.

Most probably, it could be that he had to leave a few friends behind as he was reassigned to the other class. The C class had really soldiered through for the brief time he’d been with them, and now he had a whole new class to get along with. A whole new class to compete for screen time with. But then again, B class may get a bit more screen time than the C class, so maybe it’s all for the greater good. Or so he hopes.

One thing he was definitely thankful for was having Sungjae and Bambam get reassigned to B along with him. The three of them had grown close in the past few days, and even though the Thai trainee didn’t know Korean very fluently and was about two years younger than them, he was a lot of fun. It should’ve been a little intimidating to hang around a JYP trainee, but Taehyung couldn’t help but let his guard down with the younger after seeing him pull the most ridiculous meme faces one night. It may come to bite him in the ass, he knew that, since he was sure the other was going to face massive popularity for just _being_ from one of the big three, leaving him behind in the dust in this cutthroat competition, but Taehyung was never one to plan and act.

He just. You know. Acts.

Pink in his peripheral vision made him turn his head at the A class finally making their way in to the area, settling down at the bottom most step, and once catching sight of Jimin, Taehyung waved as inconspicuously as possible—which was not inconspicuous _at all_ —at the shorter male, succeeding in catching the attention of most of the other A class trainees, except for the one he was going for, due to being the oblivious idiot Jimin was. Eventually, one of the trainees—he guessed it was Yugyeom, that silent one no one really knew anything about—pointed at Jimin in clarification, and at Taehyung’s enthusiastic nod that seemed to startle the other a bit, directed Jimin’s attention to him.

Immediately upon noticing Taehyung, Jimin walked over, grinning brightly.

“Hey! You got into the B class!” Jimin stated, laughing delightedly, patting him on the head.

“Yup! Pretty soon I’m gonna catch up with you too, Chim.” Taehyung smirked and Jimin pursed his lips mockingly.

“Yeah, don’t get too cocky there, Kim.” He retorted teasingly, before sitting down right in front of him. Taehyung comfortable laid his arms on top of his fluffy head and at the glare that got him, he just cheekily winked back. However, once the other A trainees took spots in the same area and BoA entered the stage in her intimidating star get-up, he leaned back. No need for his behaviour to be touted as unprofessionalism or whatever this early in the game anyway, since there were those freaky automatic moving cameras stationed everywhere.

Glancing around at the multitude of colours sitting row-wise, pinks and oranges and yellows and greens and that sad line of greys right at the back, it bizarrely looked like they were all at some activity in summer-camp, with the spot right at the middle perfect for a campfire. And if BoA suddenly, _freakishly_ , started singing _Kumbayah_ all of a sudden, Taehyung could almost be convinced his parents had just sent him off for summer camp to make friends, and _not_ to win a cutthroat survival competition that could make it or break it for him.

Dammit. Now he wanted toasted marshmallows.

The cheers for their nation’s representative were loud as always, and Taehyung briefly wondered if the cheers were loud because it was BoA— _a legendary K-pop star_ who had way too many hits and bops to even be counted, or if it was because it was BoA— _A Female_ in the midst of all this testosterone.

While it was the former reason for him, personally—he’d been singing _Atlantis Princess_ in noraebangs since he could remember—he couldn’t really vouch for many others. Plus, her hair was _super_ shiny, and he kinda wanted to applaud her _just_ for that.

“There isn’t that much time left for the Nayana stage, everyone.” BoA announces, before looking around with a sweet smile. “Have you all been practicing?”

At the resounding _Yes!,_ She continued. “Do you all know why I’ve come here before the first task is finished? It’s to select Produce 101 Season Two’s first ever center. As everyone knows, there can only be one center, and only one of the A level trainees can be picked as the center. As you know, last season’s center was Choi Yoojung, and without that position, she may have not even gotten into the final line-up, so I hope all of you understand the value of this position. The A level trainees have a time limit of one hour to think up of a performance that goes along with the MR of the Nayana song, which has to be at least one minute. An hour from now, we will hold a center selection match. Good luck, everyone.”

Taehyung stared at the spot she was just in with wide eyes for a moment, before looking down at a frozen Jimin.

“I’m doomed. I’m doomed. I’m so doomed that I’m doomed.” Jimin muttered again and again, sitting stock still until Taehyung whacked him on the back roughly.

“Dude. _Stop_. You have a chance to be the center. You could be the next Yoojung. _No_ , don’t make a face, I know she’s not Chungha, but in this situation, it’s better to be a Yoojung.” Taehyung said with a solemn face and Jimin rolled his eyes, finally standing up and facing him with a deadpan expression.

“You’re pep talks need more work.”

“Got you to stand up, didn’t I?” Taehyung retorted, winking. “Now go practice. You need to be really good if you want me, a lowly B trainee, to vote for you as center.”

Jimin sighed and clicked his tongue mockingly. “Lowly B, and you still have the power to decide.”

“Yes, I _do_ , and you better believe I’ll vote for Jungkook or something if you mess up.” Taehyung said, delighting in the way the other’s face scrunched up at the mention of the other A trainee’s name.

“You better not, or else I’ll consider our friendship over.” He threatened with a smile, before waving Taehyung away. “Go then. I’ll think of something to blow you away~”

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.

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* * *

 

Rap was by far one of the most common factor in most of the centre-auditions done by the A ranking trainees. Some were good, some were amazing, and others were a dud, but the one thing Taehyung couldn’t comprehend much was how these trainees, as amazingly talented as they were, ever thought rap would showcase their centre-potential the best. _Especially_ for a song like Nayana, which needed youthfulness and peppiness to shine through; not edginess and sexiness or any of its other synonyms. This wasn’t to say that everyone rapped. Some sang, some danced, some did a combination of both, and some completely blanked on stage, automatically losing their centre-spot. By the end of it, Taehyung was absolutely sick of the instrumental of Nayana blasting throughout the auditorium.

But then it was Jungkook’s turn and Taehyung could literally feel how everyone’s interest was roused once again, eyes peering unabashedly at the trainee how was now slowly approaching the centre of the stage. Even he sat up straighter, now completely awake and staring at the boy with blatant interest, but then again, for him, paying attention to Jungkook was slowly but surely becoming the norm.

The music started blaring from the speakers for the nth time, and Jungkook began to _move_.

Now, for this type of music, Taehyung always thought there weren’t really much ways to dance to it other than with it’s original choreography or maybe dance within a genre that was close to its original. But Jungkook definitely proved all that wrong. He went from it’s original choreography to popping to hip-hop to break-dance and then got up, barely winded, and proceeded to sing the rest of the song, pitch perfect.

As far as the center auditions went, this was one of the best, for sure. It showcased his superior dance skills, as well as his vocal skills, even if his voice became a tad too breathy whenever he reached the higher notes, the strain heard. But that wasn't important for now, since they were simply looking for who fit the part perfectly and not who can sing it perfectly, because if that was the case, then the main vocals of a group would’ve been the centers of their group.

No, the _problem_ was the expressions on his face as he performed. Or more specifically, the _lack_ of them. Most of the time, Jungkook was looking at the ground as he performed, face seemingly frozen, and other times, it was as if he was avoiding eye contact with anyone at all costs, and it wouldn’t have been that bad, if it hadn’t been so damn apparent. _So_ apparent, that it had started to overtake the skills he was clearly projecting, until it had started to seem a bit awkward. A center was someone that had to represent the whole group, who had to have insane stage presence and have enough charm and confidence to sell whatever their concept was, as well as make the initial connect with the public. They were the face of the group, the person who would be synonymous to the group in a fan’s mind. They were charm, confidence, and the public’s first love.

And even though Taehyung appreciated, and even slightly envied the other for his raw talent, he already knew that Jungkook would not be a top contender for the center position.

Applause sounded in the auditorium, but it was halfhearted, and from the way Jungkook was walking back to his seat, rigidness apparent in the line of his shoulders, Taehyung wanted to just go over and hold the boy’s hand until he felt a bit better, the urge more stronger than he thought it’d be. It was strange, and maybe even a bit creepy, but he didn’t want to dwell on that bit right now.

On the other hand, Jimin’s was the exact opposite. He had the idea of dancing the Pick Me choreography to the beat of the Nayana instrumental, and it just _worked_. Taehyung remembered cheering loudly at the way the boy danced, a dazzling smile on his face as he performed the dance perfectly, even adding hints of aegyo here and there. He was truly glowing on stage and Taehyung already knew, that _this_ was what the center of this season’s theme song was supposed to look like. It was definitely something, the way Jimin completely _transformed_ in front of the attention and the cameras—there wasn’t even a hint of his instinctive shyness in the boy on the stage, there was no space for personal quirks right now, with all the lights and the pairs of eyes scrutinizing his every move. And as the room burst into applause, some reluctant, some grudging, some enthusiastic, it was the loudest applause yet.

And for a flash of a second, as he looked at how Jimin was slightly preening at the attention, the lights making him glow and the bright, relieved grin making him almost seem radiant, Taehyung could see in the highest clarity how _great_ Jimin could be, would be, as an idol. How the boy seemed born for it, and instead of Jimin wearing a pink sweatshirt a size too large and scruffy off-white sneakers, there was mirage of a more mature Jimin standing in his place, taller and more confident, bright grin skewing to something dangerously charming, wearing the glam and sparkles of worldwide fame like a shirt worn every day, soft and utterly comfortable, like _it_ was made for _him_ , instead of the other way around. The aura around this Jimin was so _luminous_ it almost hurt to look directly, the charisma staggering.

He blinked and the visual faded away as quickly and flashily as it came, and the Jimin of present was now walking away, scruffy shoes, pink sweatshirt and all, and Taehyung could feel the way his grin had grown slightly rigid, the facial muscles in his cheek somehow unable to hold up the grin any longer and it faltered. It was just for a moment though, because now Jimin was looking at him from his spot on the other side with wide eyes and a hopeful, questioning smile, and Taehyung forced himself to beam at the other, hoping against all hope that it seemed sincere enough to the other.

Because he for sure could feel how his sincerity had dimmed, but Jimin simply beamed back, the joy clear on the other’s face and the guilt followed.

Because Taehyung knew, that somehow, this sudden apprehension concerning the other may not be going away anytime soon.

And he hated it.

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.

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* * *

 

If Taehyung thought the initial evaluations set was humongous, then his mind blew at the set he was currently gaping at. It was something else, and as soon as the B class had walked into the space where the music video shooting was to take place, it was like they were all transported to some other place. It was as soon as his eyes set on the stage that it finally started to dawn what the world of celebrity may look like. What _money_ looked like.

Lights were everywhere, spotlights and laser lights bright and dazzling, and the stage set up was enormous. Everything was glittery and glossy and seemed like the interior of a biggest nightclub, now that he thought more on it. Impressive, would be an understatement for the setup. The song was already booming throughout the space, with the thumping of the bass felt even from the floor. It was echoing slightly, making the space seem even more big.

Already the A class trainees were on the center platform, seemingly going through the routine since the first verse and chorus of the song were going to be performed only by the A class, and Taehyung could clearly make out Jimin, at his spot right at the center of the pyramid formation and a smile formed at the sight, pride and something else warring within his mind, but he was easily able to squash that to the back, for now.

But looking at the A class really just pushed in the fact of just how favored they were, how _up_ there they were. Taehyung wasn’t that far behind with his own rank really, just one step down, but it was jarring to see how much a rank really could matter so much in the final outcome, especially when the room broke out in loud gasps and exclamations as the spot Jimin was standing on rose even higher than the positions of the other A class, brutally and bluntly emphasizing on the center of this season. It was something extra in season two, it seemed, and Taehyung could practically see the disheartenment clouding the faces of the others, even the other A class trainees. It was ridiculous really, this whole set up was just hammering in the hierarchies, and from what he could see, some of the F class trainees were having a really hard time swallowing the fact that they really weren’t going to get any lines to sing and wouldn’t even get a platform to stand on.

An arm snaked around his neck and Taehyung snapped out of his reverie to look at Bambam in slight surprise.

“They’re really pushing that center thing this season, aren’t they?” the Thai boy asked with surprisingly very less grammatical errors, looking over at the flashy stage just as the rest of them.

“They always did, though.” Taehyung defended halfheartedly, but even he had to concede that this season, they were _really_ going all out with it. It seemed a little excessive.

“Not to this extent. At this point, Jimin might just be seventy percent of the screen time.” Bambam muttered, not really bitter as it was said warily, and he could understand the worry. This was the first time they were going to be revealed to the public, and every second of screen time mattered a lot, especially when there were a hundred boys to compete with for attention and it was a given that the public’s eye will only be caught by the ones with the most screen time, and even with that, realistically speaking, how many trainees would even be noticed by the general mass? Ten? Twenty? Their whole first impression is a gamble, and everyone knew Jimin and the A class had the highest chance of getting the attention.

Especially Jimin, since Taehyung was sure after the video gets released, he’s going to be catapulted into stardom as the face of produce 101 season two.

Who would’ve thought the first friend he’d ever made in this competition would fly leaps and bounds ahead of him like this. He should be feeling proud.

Right?

Plastering a smile on his face, Taehyung turned to ruffle the other’s hair, delighting in the way his face scrunched up. “Cheer up, Bambam. We’re the B class, we’re not that far behind.”

“Again, easy for you to say, Taehyungie,” he rolled his eyes, nudging him. “You’re the center for our class.”

Taehyung tried to stop it, but the grin came unbidden at that. He couldn’t deny his happiness at the thought of being acknowledged as the center of his class, especially after working day and night, hour after hour trying to perfect the dance steps and to keep his vocals stable while performing and even to get the expressions needed for this song down pat. And to finally get acknowledgement for that? It was terrifyingly exhilarating. He knew his visuals also played a role in it, to be honest. Even from here, Taehyung could see how much visuals play in role in tipping the bias to your favor, and he knew going forward, this will only increase, but for now, he’d rather focus on the positives.

“Yah, you talk as if you’re not standing in the front with me.” Taehyung deadpanned, a grin still playing on his lips as he gazed at the A class now jumping off the platform for a break, some of them still lingering around the stage while the others were swiftly walking away to other spots. He spotted Jimin near the left platform, along with a few other A trainees, laughing about something or the other, crinkled eyes and all. His eyes narrowed slightly at the sight, a weird feeling creeping up at the sight of Jimin enjoying his time with the A class people all of a sudden, as if he hadn’t been talking about how he’d been feeling kind of alone in the A class dorms since the others usually ignored him for some reason. As if he hadn’t been too shy to approach the others and hadn’t confided in Taehyung a few days prior of how the cutthroat competition was already taking a toll on him and these people really weren’t helping. Belatedly, he realized he should be feeling happy that Jimin was finally breaking out of his shell and approaching others, that now others will see that they were stupid to not even try to be friends with the guy, but for some reason, all he could feel was conflicted.

Jimin hadn’t said more than a few words to him after the center was announced. In his defense, there really wasn’t any time as such. All of them had been busy preparing for the final shoot, and as such, contact was sparse. Plus, they weren’t even in the same dorms, so it was understandable. He was just being clingy, he guesses. And whenever they _had_ crossed paths, Jimin had always been exuberant, and it wasn’t like he was being treated differently or anything.

Maybe he’d been taking Jimin’s attention for granted?

“Hey, dude, you alright? You look sort of sick.” Bambam’s voice filtered through, and he shook his head in frustration, waving away the concerns.

Maybe he’s just tired of feeling so conflicted whenever he thought of Jimin. _Maybe_ he needed something else to occupy his mind. He was tired of over-analyzing his friend, because that’s what he was at the end of the day, really—a friend, his closest friend; not competition.

His eyes caught onto a figure in one of the corners, and they lightened in interest.

 “Hey, listen, I’ll catch up with you later, kay?” Taehyung said, already moving away, waving a hand in acknowledgement when the other yelled at him to get back soon since they need to practice.

“Jin hyung!” Taehyung called out, grinning brightly at the way the elder looked surprised for a moment, before a smile lit up his face.

“Tae-ah!” Jin reached out to ruffle his hair, eyes crinkling. “I haven’t seen you in so long!”

“Green looks good on you, hyung.” Taehyung said teasingly, laughing at the swat he received for that.

Jin mock-scowled. “Yeah, well, orange looks hideous on you. It’d look much better on me, you know.”

“I thought pink was what you looked best in.” Taehyung raised an eyebrow, grinning widely.

“Well, that’s a given, isn’t it? I could pull it off so much better than everyone here.” Jin rolled his eyes, smiling when Taehyung laughed at that.

“Ah, I missed you hyung. It’s very boring without you and your puns.” He said with wide eyes, giving into the urge to hug the elder.

“That makes sense, you won’t get company like this anywhere else after all. I’m a one of a kind sort of entertainment.” Jin sniffed, and Taehyung rolled his eyes at that.

“…Man, sometimes I wonder about Namjoon-hyungs patience.” Taehyung said dryly and immediately there were hands muffling his mouth.

“Yah! Keep quiet about that, will you!” Jin whisper-screamed, and snatched his hands away in disgust at the lick he got as retaliation, “And I have no idea what you’re saying—I’m a fucking _delight_.”

“Huh. It’s amazing how I’d missed you so much, but spending just a few minutes with you kind of filled my Jin-quota of the week.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever, you brat.” Jin sighed, lips quirking up despite himself. “But anyway, how’s it been going with you?”

This was his chance to talk about his thoughts, Taehyung realised, and looking at Jin’s earnestly interested face, he felt vestiges of warmth bloom in him—he really _had_ missed his hyung; he had missed the way the older had always helped him through his problems with painstaking efficiency and the way he had a way of lighting up the atmosphere with just a few words and calm smiles— and he couldn’t help but feel guilty at the niggling thought that he may have been neglecting his oldest friend here for his newest one, like a kid that got his attention completely taken by a shiny new toy.

He really wanted to just vent to his hyung.

Just as he was about to open his mouth to answer, however, a PD was calling for all the B class trainees for their turn to run through the routine and immediately disappointment settled in like weights on his shoulders, making him deflate.

Jin must’ve seen something in his face, because his eyes went soft, a much more calm smile pulling his lips up and it was the most understanding look Taehyung had seen cross anyone’s face since coming to this competition and again, the intense need to catch up with his friend came like an acute sting.

“Go. We’ll talk later.” Jin said, still smiling that smile, and Taehyung squinted.

“You promise?” he shot the other a look, and Jin nodded, nudging him forward.

“I’ll find you.”

And that was all that was needed for Taehyung to become content. Flashing his signature boxy smile at the other and a look, he pivoted, running back to his group.

After that, it was a flurry of aching limbs from rigorous practice, eyes slightly dry from all the lights flashing with each beat, and numerous faces all around him with the same expressions of determination, tiredness, and that tunnel vision competitiveness, but finally rehearsals were done, once every group had practiced and perfected their positions and spots on the gliding platforms. And as Taehyung looked around at the hundred others all around him, the same glint mirrored in each and everyone’s eyes, rather than feeling that niggling worry of how all these people were trainees who could snatch away his dream to debut right from under him, of how all these trainees could be bigger and better than him, in that moment, all Taehyung could feel, was a kinship with the others. Because while they were competitors, he can say for sure that every singe trainee on these platforms has gone through the rollercoaster of emotions that he had as well. That all of them had shed blood, sweat and tears to be where they are right now. That all of them had gone through the insecurity spiels, the mental breakdowns, the feelings of self-worth and lack of it and still come out through the other side strong.

Taehyung knew that he would have to look at the others through the eyes of a competitor sooner rather than later, but in that very moment, in the midst of all the others, Taehyung felt like he truly belonged.

.

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* * *

 

He touched the soft skin right under his eye, fingertips lightly tracing the eye-bags that he knew were there, but so artfully hidden under matte concealer, making it seem like there weren’t any to begin with, which says a lot about idols, to be honest.

He looked good, objectively. Really good.

The pale shimmery eye-shadow and the kohl at the corners enhanced his eyes like none other, and the spot of gloss made his lips seem fuller. His face was concealed to perfection, no blemishes or zits noticeable, not even his pores. His hair was styled simply, but the amount of hairspray clinging to each strand of it would say different. But it worked, and it made him look even younger.

Taehyung was a god looking person. He’d had that said to him too many times to count, and each time he’d accept it with a bashful smile and a modest reply, but he knew it was true to a certain degree. So, he’d never been one to be insecure over his looks, or even question them. He had good genes, and his parents were a testament to that.

Except, _this_ is what he’d look like if he was a star. And it was making him question everything. This enhanced version of himself was as confusing as it was exhilarating to think about, because now he’s gotten a proper taste of what he could be, and it seemed like he could get used to it a little too easily. But, he also knew all this was the glitter of the idol world talking.

And it in the midst of all this that he spotted Jungkook on the other side of the room, all made up like he himself was, and Taehyung had to control his expression before he just stared at the other like an utter idiot, because the other looked good too. Like, really good. Like a proper idol he would’ve been intimidated by if they’d crossed oaths on a hall or something, simply because the visuals were too much.

It wasn’t because Jungkook looked ethereal, and it wasn’t because his visuals were the best in the room with ninety nine other trainees, because they weren’t. He wasn’t pretty, or prince like in his looks or someone who’d be categorized as classically handsome. But with the eyeliner smudged in the corners of his eyes lightly, his hair tousled in a way that toed the line between decent and messy with that hint of his forehead showing and the way Taehyung could make out how the stark white uniform shirt was subtly stretched across the expanse of his chest—well, he somehow cut an intimidating picture that just, _easily_ stood out from the others.

He was alone again, Taehyung noticed, and this time, he couldn’t help but frown outwardly at that. After that dance practice session that day, he will admit he’d been feeling a little protective over the quiet younger-it’s not that surprising really; Taehyung gets attached easily as soon as he spots the slightest of indications of reciprocation, and after remembering the way the younger had tried to hide his smile that one time, he had resolutely decided he’d befriend the younger no matter what.

Mind made up, he walked over to where the other was hunched over.

“You know, you really look like an idol right now.”

Jungkook’s head snapped up, eyes going wide at the sight of Taehyung.

“Er—”

“Sorry, was that creepy? I’m complimenting you, I swear! And no creepy intentions behind it. Really. I just have no brain to mouth filter, is all.” Taehyung hastened to explain, before deflating when the other’s expression did not change at all. In fact, he only looked more bewildered. “You know what? Scratch that. Um, is it alright if I sit here?”

“Uh, go ahead.” He gestured stiffly to the space next to him and Taehyung plopped down, careful not to wrinkle his uniform too much—he didn’t exactly need reason for the PD’s to fret over him.

It was awkward. Oh, so awkward, and Taehyung does not thrive on awkward. At all. Taehyung opened his mouth, no doubt for another bout of word vomit, but then—

“You look—like an idol too. Um.” Jungkook said stiltedly, and Taehyung sat there with an open mouth for a moment, before turning to grin brightly at the other.

“Thank you.” Taehyung directed an extra bright, boxy grin—his specialty—at the other and watched curiously how he grew flustered at the suddenness of it, red creeping over pale cheeks. It contrasted against his whole intimidating look in the best way possible, the doe eyes really not helping anything, and Taehyung could _feel_ how rapidly he was melting. “Also, I didn’t really get a chance to say this back then, but thank you for helping me with my dance. If you hadn’t, I’m pretty sure I’d still be struggling. So, you quite literally saved a stranger’s life.”

Jungkook’s eyebrows furrowed, denial clear in his body language. “...No, I didn’t really do anything. I’m sure you would have gotten it even if I wasn’t there.” He stated quietly, side-eyeing him with a small frown.

Taehyung only shook his head, an amused smile playing on his lips as he stared intensely at Jungkook. He seemed to grow more fidgety under the stare, fingers tapping on his thighs, and Taehyung could only think about how anyone could even think this guy was arrogant. It was ridiculous.

“Well, regardless of what you think, thank you anyway. Accept it, okay? I’m not gonna let go otherwise.”

Jungkook hesitated, but at the stern look sent his way, he ducked down with a nod, a small smile starting to play on his lips. A few minutes pass in silence, as they looked over at the other getting made up, the cacophony that was prep time.

“…Can I ask you something?”

Jungkook turned slightly to face him. “Sure.”

“Why do you not interact with anyone here?” Taehyung blurted out and immediately wished he could swallow back the words as the surprised look on the others face. He only belatedly realised the other could take offense to the question because it was such an insensitive way to ask, stupid, _stupid_ _Taehyun_ —

“I, um—”

“Sorry, that was a very insensitive question, wasn’t it? I’m just curious, is all. No brain to mouth filter here, remember? You know what, why would you even tell me, we’re not even clo—”

“I don’t do well in social situations.” Jungkook interrupted, looking partly resigned, partly amused and wholly cautious. “I’m, well, I think you can tell, but I’m shy. I...usually cant take the first step in approaching someone and—and by the time I do gather my courage or whatever to do so, people have already made up their minds about me and what kind of a person I am, so then I just, don’t do it. And after people have made their judgments, it just doesn’t feel worth it to prove them wrong when it wasn’t true in the first place.” He shrugged as he said it, as if he’d just accepted it as one of the facts of life and Taehyung’s heart ached at the thought of someone just accepting loneliness and isolation as just a fact of life, especially when he believed in the exact opposite.

“...But you know, it’s okay. It just makes me focus more on training. After all, this isn’t a place to make friends, really. I’m—I’m fine with it.”

“You’re not fine.”

“Er, yeah I a—”

“ _No_ , you’re not.”

Jungkook grimaces, before his lips curve into a rueful smile. “…No. But I will be fine.” He turned his head towards the elder, sending him a peculiar look.

Taehyung sighs loudly. Fuck it. Subtlety was never his forte, anyway. “You know what? You may be right. You may be fine being alone and going off somewhere by yourself. And who knows? Maybe because of it, you’ll train the hardest and get to be the most talented and get the most votes, and maybe just go off to win the center spot at the end too and if I was a selfless person, _maybe_ I’d let you go on and do all that too.”

Jungkook looked uncertain, eyes shifting at the sudden onslaught, but Taehyung barreled on. “But you know something? I’m not a selfless person. I’m actually quite selfish. I’m loud, I’m dramatic, I have a weird personality and I latch onto things quite easily. And I’m sorry, but I’m just not gonna let you wallow in isolation the rest of this competition like a loser. Yes, Jungkook, I called you a loser, get over it. Because I’ve already decided that we’re to be friends. Actually, in my head, we’re already friends. So you know what? You’re just—I don’t know, you’re just gonna _have_ _to_ accept it, I guess. Because after this, for four months at least, I’m gonna make _sure_ you’re stuck with me.”

Jungkook looked—well, stunned may have been an understatement at this point, because those eyes were wider than Taehyung had ever seen them. He wasn’t blushing, surprisingly, though Taehyung could feel the heat creeping in on his _own_ cheeks, but instead looked a little pale. A minute had passed by and he still hadn’t said anything.

Embarrassment was a heady feeling, and Taehyung never liked second guessing. Maybe he’d jumped the gun a little? It was a habit he’d never gotten rid of, honestly. Cautiously, Taehyung leaned forward, biting his lip. “Um, Jungkook? You okay there? Was it too much? I’m sorry, I kinda have a habit of running my mouth, hah, another thing you need to get used to along with my non-existent filter I gue—”

“You—you mean it?”

“What?” Taehyung asked, confused and the younger only repeated his words.

“...Do you mean what you said?”

Taehyung pulled back slightly at that, at the way Jungkook sounded when he asked it. He didn’t think he’d seen the younger as open as he was, that hidden vulnerability underneath the almost stable tone, at the way his eyes were a bit more brighter, a bit more lighter, and Taehyung could feel his entire countenance softening at that, like melting butter on a sizzling pan. It was _ridiculous_ how much the other affected him.

Smiling softly, Taehyung reached up to pat Jungkook’s hair lightly, careful of not messing up the hairstyle, and his smile grew when the other simply leaned into it, still looking at him with that fragile vulnerability that seemed so at odds with his entire look, but at the same time went so well with whatever Taehyung already knew about him.

“Like I said, you’re kinda stuck with me now. I’m like a koala with my new friends, Jungkook. You better prepare yourself.”

Jungkook slowly but surely smiled, a sweet one that made him look years younger and Taehyung stared.

“I’m looking forward to it, hyung.”

_Completely ridiculous._

And after that, whatever happened after was a blur in Taehyung’s mind. The sheer pace of the recording was just a vague memory at this point. Only some thoughts and memories flash brightly amidst the fog that was bright lights, red recording LEDs, sparkling fireworks and lasers, and the dozen of cameras placed all around to catch each and every moment. Things like the ache in his knees, the way his neck was cramping and his toes were hurting at the end of each run, at the way the sweat cooled on his hairline and that one-track focus to hit all the right beats echoed even after the shooting was over. There wasn’t any time then to take in everything happening, really—all you could do was perform perfectly in one take, and hope against all hope that you get enough screen-time, and when you do get that screen-time, to make it absolutely count. He was in the B class, which meant he still had a chance to stand out, but how to go about it? that was what had been running through his head the entire prep time, until shooting had to begin. He was center of the B class, so he had some hope, but as soon as he saw the amount of time the A class got solo, that started to dwindle, really. Tried everything else too—he grinned as brightly as he could, made sure his expressions were the liveliest ones he’d ever made, and had even gone the extra mile to collect some of the confetti that was blasted at the end of the song during take two and throw it over himself in hopes one of the cameras would catch it.

But it was in that last moment, when the very last bars of the song were playing, that Taehyung’s gaze caught a cameraman near the far end of the B class platform. Between panting breaths and glittery confetti raining all over them from the sky, he prolonged the eye contact with the glinting lens, hoping against all hope that he stands out in some way or the other.

Taehyung didn’t really know what he was getting himself into at that moment; nobody did.

After all, how much could a wink really do, anyway?

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. This is kinda pretty late. Whoops?  
> I've been extremely busy these months, with my internship and now my final year of college which means projects and hectic deadlines, so I apologize for the lateness of this. I still need to update my other taekook story and I'm stressing lol. But with all these bts highlight reels coming up, hopefully i'll just get a little too inspired to write!  
> Which brings me to--  
> OMG the Highlight Reels! I can't--what even-the masterpieces!  
> It's so beautifully shot and the lights and the music is just--ugh~~~  
> My expectations for their next comeback is so high, it's ridiculous.  
> As an apology for the wait, please enjoy this extra, extra long chapter!  
> I hope you like this chapter! Let me know what you think of it!


	4. Episode Three: Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When things start to get Real.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More than a year later, I have returned. Hi?  
> I literally have no excuses.  
> Except maybe, I have traveled and moved my entire home to the UK now for my masters and THAT has been a ride and a half. It's only been 2 months but I'm seriously loving it here ^^  
> ALSO, I finally saw BTS LIVE! Yes, this happened, very recently actually. At the London show on the 10th. Was there anyone else at the show too? I seriously feel like a changed person. It was a holy experience. They killed me. TAEHYUNG killed me. oh my god, singularity is designed to torture you, i swear to god.  
> If anyone wants to rant with me about them please please do so lol.  
> Now, finally, the update. Here it is. I'm not really satisfied with it, but I just had to post it because it's been in my drafts for way too long. I hope you guys enjoy!

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It’s something else entirely, having dozens of eyes on you.

Taehyung thought he knew what that felt like; he was used to having eyes on him, whether during evaluations in the company, or when performing as a backup dancer in some showcase or the other, or even that one time he’d spilled his can of coke on the most popular girl in the school during recess in the canteen.

Yeah. He had been seriously naïve.

“Man. People are seriously staring.” Jin commented, putting on his best smug face. “Must be my good looks.”

Taehyung barked out a surprised laugh. “Yeah,” he scoffed, grinning, “Yeah, that must be it.”

“It was only a matter of time.” Jin continued sagely, following Taehyung’s footsteps without even questioning why they were heading to the last row of chairs out of all the others, even when it was apparent that the last row meant very less screen time.

Taehyung was hit with the urge to hug his hyung, but feeling even more eyes as he shuffled past, he simply huddled into himself more and finally sat down on a chair right at the corner of the room. When Jin sank down on the chair right next to him, he let out a soft sigh, letting his head rest on the other’s shoulder.

“Hyung.”

“Hm?”

“I—“ Taehyung paused when his eyes met another trainee’s and immediately looked away, finger coming up to fidget with the collar of the uniform all the trainees were told to wear for the public viewing of the first ever episode of Produce 101 Season Two. It was supposed to make them all look spick and span and unified, as if all one hundred and one of them were a single, collective team.

As if the show hadn’t released the video of this season’s theme song just a mere four days ago, already somehow creating a major stir all over Korea.

As if there already weren’t certain expectations and boundaries between the trainees because of the result of that video.

As if the power of popularity hadn’t already started to slowly but surely form a cloud over all their heads.

“—no, nothing. Forget it.” He finished awkwardly, not raising his eyes again. He just felt so strange in his own skin right then, hyper-aware of each eye on him in a way he never was. This was the first time all the trainees were together in the same room since the last meeting a week ago, and he just wanted to be invisible, which was ironic, he was sure to some, considering his circumstance at the moment.

Jin only hummed in reply, but he moved to grip Taehyung palm softly, hiding it between the two chairs in silent support and Taehyung again resisted the urge to just hug the older and simply never let go, Namjoon be damned. He was so, so glad he had someone from the company, and more importantly, that it was Jin with him in this show. The older was a sweetheart, even when Taehyung knew he was being a little bit selfish in his self-pity party since even Jin had attracted attention from the public but here Taehyung was, looking at all that attention with negativity.

“I’m gonna steal you away from Namjoon-hyung, hyung. Mark my words.” Taehyung mumbled to Jin, and smiled genuinely when the other broke out into his classic windshield wipers like laugh.

“Sometimes, I think that’d be better.” Jin winked, and Taehyung grinned, knowing just how untrue that statement was and just how utterly gone they both were for the other.

After the initial orders to sit still and look pretty and attentive and the final check-ups by the production team, the first episode was finally played to the group of trainees. The room was basically reeking of anxiousness; the tenseness apparent even under the bouts of laughter and shouts of exclamation filling the room. It’s a strange experience, to see one’s own face in something you’ve seen so many times on television, with these very familiar variety-like subtitles and headings filling the screen, the commentary so familiar yet not just because it’s not strangers going through it this time.

It was edited nicely, Taehyung was relieved to note. Some of the trainees gossiping made it to the cut and it was pretty funny, laughter filling the room, and the evaluations themselves were alright, if a little dramatic. When Jungkook’s was played, he could definitely see the boy blushing to the roots of his hair in his mind’s eye, especially because of the way it was already dramatic due to him being the first A class trainee. When Jin’s and his were shown, he just wanted to hide his face, embarrassment prickling at him at how there were way more close-ups of his face on there than he’d realised there would be, but he smiled despite himself at how they emphasized on Jin’s handsomeness as well. Jimin’s group was shown as pretty much the perfect audition, which it was, and belatedly, Taehyung realised as they almost reached the end of the episode that both Jungkook and Jimin had gotten a good amount of screen time as compared to the others—and this episode was just the initial evaluations, when everybody was a clean slate, more or less.

Evidently not.

It was as if the creators of the show had already chosen their favourites, and it wasn’t even subtle, was it?

He wondered if the others in this room had noticed the difference as well. His own mind was a jumble at the moment, not really sure what he was feeling. On one hand, he was feeling a little unsettled; it was never a good moment when one sees blatant favouritism from the get-go and this just meant that everyone would get even more greedy and competitive regarding standing out for screen time. On the other hand, while slightly lesser, he _was_ glad that it was two of his _friends_ that were the top pickings for the show, if nothing else. Sure, it sucks that he’s not up there with them regarding screen time and interest, but he was still proud. And _maybe_ , even a little relieved—maybe now everyone else will stare at them in confusion and wariness instead of him; he had a feeling the both of them would thrive off the competition rather than consider it hesitantly like he would.

A rough nudge made him wince and he turned to Jin in confusion. “Hyung, wha—“

“They’re revealing the rankings.” Jin whispered, and Taehyung’s blood ran cold.

_What?_

The noise in the room reached a fever pitch as the rankings were revealed on the projector screen one by one from the one hundred and first trainee onwards. He himself was tense, and he could feel how tense Jin was as well. The anxiousness only grew in intensity when the numbers descended, now well into the top forty, and he still had not seen his name. Neither was Jin’s shown yet.

And then Jin’s was revealed to be number eight and he—

He was first.

He was ranked first.

_What._

“Oh my God, Taehyung-ah—!” Jin exclaimed, turning to him with a large grin, and Taehyung still couldn’t comprehend much, his body feeling way too heavy, but weightless at the same time. He felt like he was going to float away, and the noise had faded to a muted chatter in his head, eyes still stuck on the box with the crown with his name on it, right at the top of the pyramid.

“You’re number one!” Jin yelled into his ear, and Taehyung nodded numbly, a bemused smile on his lips. Dimly, he noted he must be looking really stupid, and the cameras had no doubt captured that, because he was number one and leading the rankings. However, he did not care.

Because he was number one.

And it was all because of a freaking wink.

Fucking hell.

.

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.

  1. _Kim Taehyung  ♕_
  2. _Jackson Wang_
  3. _Park Jimin_
  4. _Park Hyungsik_
  5. _Joshua_
  6. _Jeon Jungkook_
  7. _Park Jeonghan_
  8. _Kim Seokjin_
  9. _Kim Minjae_
  10. _Hwang Minhyun_
  11. _Kim Sungjae_



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.

.

“This task is a group battle evaluation.”

The chattering abruptly died down as soon as the words were out in the open. Taehyung resisted the urge to groan when he realized the gravitas of the words, especially the ‘group’ one. It was finally starting, the chaos of competing, and a bubble of anxiety began to grown in his stomach as he spied a few eager expressions just in his row of orange.

“A total of sixteen groups will battle, but there are only eight songs that you will be evaluated on. The battle will be between the two groups that choose the same song. In the previous season, the winning team got a benefit of a thousand points. This time, however, the benefit will not be thousand. Instead, it’s three times more than the previous season, which means you could get a benefit of three thousand points. That’s not all for the overall winner, though. The team that gets the most points will get a chance to perform their stage on MCountdown as well!” Boa revealed with a slight smile as the gasps and cheers of the trainees filled the hall.

“However,” She cut in with a perfect raised eyebrow, “during the evaluation after the battle, trainees ranked 61-101 _will_ be eliminated.”

And then there was pin drop silence.

That bubble of anxiety only grew bigger.

“We’ll be revealing the evaluation songs now.” She said, and swiveled to face the wall on the far end of the hall, and the cloth covering the placards of the songs fell to the floor dramatically. However, Taehyung didn’t really care about the dramatics and the suspenseful build up of it all, and instead he rushed to read all the names of the songs, eyes roving over every one of them in rising anticipation and jitteriness, already mentally crossing out the songs he knew he didn’t want to do.

  * _TVXQ ‘Mirotic’_
  * _Super Junior ‘Sorry Sorry’_
  * _B2ST ‘Shock’_
  * _Big Bang ‘Lies’_
  * _SHINee ‘Replay’_
  * _2PM ’10 Out of 10’_
  * _Shinhwa ‘This Love’_
  * _Infinite ‘Be Mine’_



“The trainee who will pick the group and the song will be chosen randomly. After choosing their teammates, the trainee will then draw a name from a box to pick the next team. However, the first trainee who gets to choose a team has already been decided. In Produce 101, what’s the most important position?”

“Center!”

“Brand New Music’s Park Jimin is given the opportunity to pick first.” Boa finishes amidst the sudden, if slightly reluctant cheers from the trainee group. Taehyung sees Jimin run up to Boa, a shy grin on his face matching perfectly with his slightly over-sized pink class A sweatshirt. That, along with the fluffy blond hair and the pink high on his cheeks, really made the other look too innocent and bubbly for words, he mused as he clapped along with the rest of them. It was clear the other was intensely enjoying the attention.

“Please pick your team members.”

Taehyung could feel the shift in the air as soon as the last word was spoken. People were straightening; shoulders tightening as everyone watched the blond keenly, waiting for their own names to be called.

He could feel the tension and anticipation slowly creeping up on him as well, the slight nerves making itself known very well. There’s a lot riding on this, starting with the fact that this whole part of the competition could make or break a trainee’s future. Moreover, for that to go well, one needs to be selected for a good, competent team, with members that are not only willing to work hard, but are also talented. Because, realistically thinking, each and every one of the trainees here are here for a reason; because they were all good at spending blood, sweat and tears to see just some hope. It wasn’t a question of how hard one would be willing to work at this point, but more of what other value can one add to make a team stand out more.

And, of course, the age old fear of if they’d even _get_ selected for a team in the first place. No one wants to be the leftovers.

“I pick JYP’s Jackson Wang from class A.”

An eyebrow rose as the whispers already started breaking out, Jackson swaggering out to high five the blond. Realistically, it would make sense if Jimin chose all his teammates from his own class. According to the caste system, they were the most talented and the most consistent, so to say. Having a team full of A class trainees would definitely mean a polished, hassle free performance. All of them had one thing or the other that supposedly put them above the rest already. Taehyung didn’t really believe having the A rank meant all that much in the real idol world, but for this competition, it basically meant you’re of the highest caliber, however stupid he believed that to be.

Of course, knowing all that never really stopped the fluttering hope in his stomach, of the _maybe’s_ and _what if’s_. Because Jimin _knew_ what he was capable of, didn’t he? Wasn’t it some sort of bro code to pick your friends no matter what? But then again, this was a cutthroat competition so that could be wishful thinking, so could he really begrudge Jimin for not choosing him?

He could see the blond’s eyes roving over the other A class trainees until they stuck on one, a conflicted expression crossing his face before it was smoothed over by a smile that had to have been practiced in front of the mirror countless times. Taehyung’s eyebrows furrowed as he registered who the other was looking at.

_Wait a minu—_

“I pick independent trainee Jeon Jungkook from class A.”

For a second, Taehyung could only wonder about what was happening. Did Jimin just choose _Jungkook_ to be on his team? The boy who the blond would always complain about? The one Jimin swore he’d never try to get along with? Out of all the others, he chose Jungkook?

Jungkook was frozen in place in the line in front of him, and he saw how the trainee next to him had to nudge the boy forward to snap him out of whatever funk he was in. Taehyung saw how stiff the younger was as he walked over to the other two, saw how Jungkook and Jimin didn’t even really acknowledge each other much and how Jungkook stood just a bit apart from the others.

Taehyung’s brows furrowed even more. Clearly, it wasn’t because those two had suddenly become a lot closer without him ever knowing, so then why? There were other A class trainees Jimin could've chosen who he was actually close with, after all.

It was when Taehyung was still thinking about the new predicament that he locked eyes with Jimin, who was now looking at him with a bright smile. It was more genuine than the ones he’d been beaming before and Taehyung raised an eyebrow in response, only catching on when the boy parted his lips to speak.

No _way_.

“I pick Big Hit Entertainment’s Kim Taehyung from class B.”

Taehyung couldn’t help the sharp burst of joy in his chest at how Jimin believes him to be beneficial to his team, the light, bright feeling completely blocking out the burst of whispers at the announcement. All he could see at that moment, was how Jimin was grinning hard at him, and not wanting to waste more time, Taehyung jumped over the step and strides towards the other quickly, bumping the fist Jimin stretched out with a bright boxy grin of his own.

He knew he couldn’t talk to Jimin right now, so he dutifully stepped away to stand in the line, but the ache starting to build in his cheeks was an indicator of how hard he was trying to bring down his grin. But could anyone blame him? He was picked to be on a team! And not just any team—but the current center’s team. The first team. He was feeling sort of giddy just thinking about it. Actually, scratch that, he definitely was giddy.

Looking to his side, he caught Jungkook’s eyes, though the boy immediately looked away. Taehyung refrained from rolling his eyes or maybe nudge the other for his sudden bashfulness again; after all, they were friends now, weren’t they? However, Taehyung was conscious of all the eyes looking at them so he refrained.

Well, that, and also that the fact that there was something in Jungkook’s face that looked a little troubled when he caught his eyes.

Grin faltering at that, Taehyung resumed looking ahead, noting to talk to the other after the team selection.

“I pick Jellyfish entertainment’s Kim Minjae from class C.”

“—ibe entertainment’s Kim Mingyu from class D.”

“—edis entertainment’s Joshua from class D.”

“—it entertainment’s Kim Seokjin from class D.”

At that, Taehyung’s eyes snapped up in slight surprise, disbelief and happiness warring with each other in his eyes, but as he saw his hyung walk out in that confident way of his, a grin burst out completely uninhibited. What kind of luck was it to have both Jimin and Jin-hyung in his team?

He turned abruptly to Jungkook next to him, just to share some of the joy and relief he was feeling at the moment, but the troubled look on the other’s face had only gotten worse at this point, and Taehyung’s grin faltered once more, peering at the other puzzled. Forgoing all restraint, he lightly nudged Jungkook, sending him a questioning look once he looked over. However, the boy only lightly shook his head and looked straight ahead, avoiding his gaze.

It was only then that Taehyung slowly started to register the mutterings and whispers filling the hall from the rest of the trainees. Registering the disparaging eyes and the wary gazes from the other trainees, he could feel the cold touch of sludgy wariness push through his veins, push through the golden joy he'd been basking in, the uncomfortable feeling only weighing more when Sungjae ignored his stare.

"Going a little strong there, aren't you, Jimin-ssi?"

“I wanted to make an Avengers team.” Jimin beamed happily, a slightly smug tone underlining.

It was only when Jimin’s answer to Boa was uttered did he _finally_ realize the situation he was in. And maybe even finally understand Jungkook’s look—because it wasn’t about shyness or awkwardness.

It was trepidation. Because Jungkook had already figured it out.

And Taehyung simply felt foolish.

.

.

.

 **Interviewer:** _What made you select the members you did?_

 **Jimin:** _(Laughs) Yeah, I guess it was a pretty strong statement, wasn’t it? But that’s exactly the reason I chose them._

 **Interviewer:** _To make a strong statement?_

 **Jimin:** _I wanted to form the second coming of the Avengers team. Because I did pick well. Because we need to win._

.

.

.

Personally, Taehyung was all right with them performing This Love by Shinhwa, instead of Mirotic by TVXQ, but he didn’t dare say it out loud since he could still see the remnants of disappointment still lingering in Jimin’s eyes. The boy had been a little down ever since another trainee reach the Mirotic plaque first.

“Okay, you know what, it’s fine that we got This Love and not Mirotic.” Jin starts off, grinning assuredly at Jimin, who stares back a bit doubtful. “Who knows, this may even work in our favor, because honestly, the choreography of Mirotic is pretty intense.”

Taehyung laughed at that. “Yes, that’s true, Jin-hyung wouldn’t have been able to catch up then.”

Jin gasped dramatically. “Aish, you brat—“

“What? You can’t dance!” Taehyung exclaims innocently, dodging a swipe from the older. “Trust me Jiminie, you may have actually done us all a favor.” He winks at Jimin, and relief fills him at the relieved smile Jimin shoots his way. He could practically see a weight lift off his shoulders, a subtle confidence fitting back in place and Taehyung made note of how the boy needs reassurance to thrive. Jimin really seemed like a person that gets affected by things like this.

Jin still looked a bit annoyed, and Taehyung rolled his eyes at the dramatics and sent a pout his way. The older simply rolled his eyes and turned back to group. “Alright, since the disrespect has ended,” and here Jin sent a glare Taehyung’s way that he simply waved off, “let’s decide on the roles. Let’s first pick the leader, if that’s fine?”

At the hesitation in the air, Taehyung was about to speak up but surprisingly, Jungkook beat him to it.

“I think you should be the leader, um, Seokjin-ssi. You’re the eldest and you seem to know how to lead.” Jungkook mumbled, voice getting clearer by the end. He still avoided eye contact as such with everyone, but Taehyung was still surprised he’d spoken up. A warm feeling creeped in at the thought of Jungkook actually wanting to try to get along with the others, even though Taehyung himself only knew the other a little.

Jin looked surprised, staring at Jungkook with parted lips which quickly turned to bafflement as the others instantly agreed with quick nods and words of encouragement.

“I think you should be the leader too, hyung.” Jimin declared with a bright smile, patting his shoulder.

“Um, al-alright then? It seems I’m the leader of the group.” Jin said haltingly, with wide eyes as Jimin stuck the L sticker right on his chest with a loud thump.

“Don’t let this go to your head, hyung. You’re not an overlord or anything.” Taehyung scoffs teasingly, but also throws an arm around his broad shoulders in a quick hug, heart lifting at the way his hyung immediately leaned into it. He knew how much it meant to Jin, to have the approval and respect of all the others so quickly. He knew the older was freaking out inside, both elated and terrified at the responsibility and Taehyung promised to be there for him through everything.

Settling back down, Taehyung also sent a quick thankful nudge in Jungkook’s direction, catching the tail end of a small smile before the other looked away. Resisting the urge to ruffle the younger’s hair, he turned back to the discussion at hand.

“Okay then, now that that’s over with, let’s jump into the hard stuff.” Jin announced, before looking each one in the eye. “We have to choose the center.”

The hypersensitivity he was feeling as the word was uttered bothered him, and noticing the way everyone else perked up just made him want to back down already, his mind racing through the things he could possibly offer and one up the others in in this race for the center position.

Taehyung was suddenly frozen.

“Let’s go with this for now—is there anyone who really wants to be center?” Minjae spoke up, smiling slightly.

Taehyung was still unmoving, hands feeling like lead and heart starting to race. He could see Jimin hesitantly raise his hand with a bashful smile and it did not surprise him in the slightest. What did surprise him and made him stare blatantly was how even Jungkook raised his hand in the air, not with a smile but with determination glinting in his dark eyes. He looked focused, ready for anything, ready to fight for what he wanted. And that just made Taehyung feel even more doubtful about his position in the group. What could he possibly give that would make him rise above the others? What was it that he had exactly that would make him worthy of the center position? That would make him viable to be the face of the group?

What?

What was it?

Yet.

_And yet and yet and yet._

“Taehyung, you wanna be center too?” Jin asked, surprise colouring his voice at the boy’s raised hand.

He _did_ come in first at the first ever ranking. Technically, _technically_ , that meant that in a hypothetical world where the first twelve of the week debuted, he would be the permanent center.

Doesn’t that mean he _does_ have something that everyone else _clearly_ liked?

Taehyung fought to keep his hand in the air at the question, and slapped himself internally to calm down at Minjae’s smile. “Um, yeah. I… want to try?” He winced at how it came off as a question and avoided Jimin’s raised eyebrow. Way to come off as a confident competitor for the spot. He cleared his throat and tried again, much to the amusement of Jin.

“Okay then,” Minjae said, looking around, “So we have Jimin, Jungkook and Taehyung trying out for the center part? To be honest, any one of you can be the center for this song, but maybe we should have like a competition for it and then we can vote?”

“Well, I _do_ have the most experience,” Jimin says teasingly. At least, that’s probably how Jimin wanted it to come across but Taehyung could also hear the note of seriousness in it. Jimin wanted the spot.

“Maybe someone with the best looks?”

“If that’s the criteria, then we shouldn’t look further because it’s obviously me.” Jin flutters his lashes and everyone groans, even the shyer ones.

“Well, more than good looks,” Mingyu says slowly, shooting a placating look at Jin, “we need someone with top notch expressions, I think. It is a dramatic song, after all.”

Minjae suddenly perked up, more interested in the proceedings now that something cringe worthy was about to come up. “Well, I’ve been acting since I was seven years old, so I think I’d be a good center.”

“Okay, then Minjae, why don’t you just singing the beginning of the chorus part? Let’s just see the expressions for each candidate and then we can make a decision by voting? Is that fine?” Jin proposed, and with a round of agreements, the impromptu auditions started.

Minjae had a flower boy persona to him, his pale skin and dark lashes fluttering at exactly the right time to make anyone affected. His fresh appearance and flowery smile only highlighted his youth, and the boy definitely knew to work it to his advantage, the dimples being the final killer statement. And normally, Taehyung would’ve even voted for him to be the center, because he definitely had the chops to be—however, if he was honest, Minjae would be much better suited to be center for songs like Shinee’s Replay or 2PM’s ten out of ten than the song they had to perform. From the looks of the others, he knew they were somehow in consensus and he didn’t feel too threatened yet.

Jimin, on the other hand, had the ability to fake a kind of confidence, an attitude that was almost alluring. There was still a nervousness clinging to him that was apparent however, and he had a habit of breaking into giggles the moment he felt uncomfortable or as if the attention was too much, hands scrunching up as he hid his face and declared he’d start over.

 It was endearing, seeing the boy try so hard to be serious and dramatic and failing theatrically just because of how hard he was blushing, cheeks glowingly pink. Taehyung laughed along with the others, genuinely endeared, but inherently, he was reminded yet again of the potential his friend had, a bucket load of it. It was almost as if Jimin wasn’t serious about the center position this time, and he wondered what would happen when he _did_ get serious.

However, as soon as Jimin’s was done, Taehyung immediately turned to the quiet boy next to him, anticipation curling in his gut to see how Jungkook would do. For a moment, Taehyung pondered why he was so curious about everything the other would do. It’s too intense to just call it curiosity at this point, wasn’t it?

Jungkook was a bit stiff, and seemed to be anxious at having so many people staring only at him. So when Jungkook’s eyes met his for a brief second, Taehyung made sure to smile brightly, reassuringly and the other’s expression softened for a moment, something indescribable flitting through his eyes before he turned and took a deep breath, shoulders a smidgen relaxed.

Taehyung didn’t really want to think it was only because of him the other boy relaxed, but the thought persisted and he couldn’t stop his own expression from softening.

He shouldn’t have been surprised but still was when instead of showcasing expressions, Jungkook began to sing. Softly, hesitantly, but so prettily. However, after a moment, Jungkook did look up, voice getting stronger, and his eyes locked to his. Taehyung couldn’t look away, startled as he was at the intense gaze. Jungkook was singing it perfectly, airy and breathy, but Taehyung couldn’t really focus on anything but Jungkook’s eyes, how the other boy really had no acting skills, but that could only be because he was so earnest, emotions buzzing openly over his face and letting his voice do the expressing.

It was…

It just was.

The whole thing was only fifteen seconds max before Jungkook’s gaze flitted away and Taehyung could _finally_ get some sort of bearing. Distantly, he realized it was almost as if Jungkook was serenading him, and that got him to flush heavily, head falling from the clouds in a dangerous pace.

Jimin was looking at him with raised eyebrows that just made him flush even more. Taehyung could only thank every deity he knew that he had tan skin that could somewhat cover up his blush. Jimin then narrowed his eyes, still scrutinizing him, before an impish smirk twisted his lips and Taehyung was honestly freaking the _fuck_ out because, oh god, was his flustered state completely obvious? Even worse, could _Jungkook_ tell he was transfixed like a moron? Maybe the only reason Jungkook didn’t look away from him was because _he_ was staring like a lunatic.

Taehyung really didn’t want to scare the kid away when he’d _just_ started to relax around him.

“Tae, it’s your turn.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, my turn. Right. Um.” He stuttered, and Jimin only raised his eyebrow again, mockingly like the devil he is, and yup, his ears were insanely heated. He was hyper aware of everyone now looking at him, and avoided looking to his side at the boy who made him feel _this_ awkward and hypersensitive in the first place. Even now, knowing he had Jungkook’s eyes on the side of his face made the back of his neck and ear prickle uncomfortably, shivers rocking his spine.

Right. He had to perform, kind of.

Lowering his head and shielding his face from view, Taehyung breathed in deep, counted to two, let the breath out slowly and looked up, the look in his eyes now completely different. The fluster was completely removed from his face, almost like it never happened, and he vaguely registered the surprise on some of their faces.

Other than Jin, because he knew. He knew what Taehyung’s ace was.

There may be trainees who could sing better than him, who could dance better than him, who could speak better, joke better, be better better _better_. Nevertheless, if there was _one_ thing Taehyung could say he was confident in, it would be in his expressions. The ability to convey what you wanted with just the slightest twitch of the eyebrow, with just a purse of the lips at exactly the tight moment. With just a gaze to the side to convey seduction, a flutter of the lashes to express innocence.

 _Except_ , it didn’t quite work out this time around.

It began well, but Taehyung could feel the stiffness creeping in, a certain awkwardness remaining from the flustered state he tried so hard to erase from memory. It really, _really_ didn’t help having all of Jungkook’s attention focused on him right after the other boy pulled whatever he did during his turn. Did the younger actually do it deliberately? Knowing it would affect Taehyung to the point of not even being able to showcase the one thing he was proud of? No, that couldn’t be. Could it?

He knew there was only a very rare chance of that actually being true—the calculative nature just didn’t seem to fit with whatever he’d seen of Jungkook’s personality. But even worse than the calculative nature, did that mean Jungkook actually knew of his strange effect he had on him? Something he himself did not understand clearly, did the younger already suss out? No, there was _no_ way. Jungkook has barely made eye contact with him enough times to realize it.

Other than the prolonged contact now, that is.

Oh, god, now he was overthinking it to the extreme. Taehyung already knew he’d let his head interfere, messing up his chance.

At the end of it, the center sticker went to Jimin without much fanfare, the blue sticker symbolizing ultimate power at the moment and Taehyung simply felt helpless as he saw Jimin own the spotlight for the second consecutive time with a satisfied grin, hiding the negative emotions rolling in the pit of his stomach behind an exuberant cheer.

He should be happy. Maybe not happy, but at least proud.

But then why did he just feel resigned? Is this how it’s always going to be? Even just thinking in this tangent was starting to make Taehyung a little nauseous, because he really wasn’t a jealous person by nature. He really wasn’t.

But, as his eyes roved over the blond’s shining figure, he couldn’t help the light, floaty tendrils of rich emerald envy slither over the contours of his clavicle, slowly but surely making its presence known, weight bearable for now. However, he couldn't help but wonder briefly, what happens when it’s not anymore?

It was only a movement next to him that broke Taehyung out of his reverie. Glancing to the side, his eyes widened a bit at the expression on Jungkook’s face. While what he felt was more towards resignation, Jungkook’s just screamed disappointment and frustration, the poor imitation of a smile doing nothing to hide the hard set to his jaw. Dark eyes flickered to Taehyung’s and immediately his face cleared of all previous frustration, only a flush remaining on the apples of his cheeks. Jungkook leaned forward a bit, letting his hair cover his expression, but Taehyung had seen more than enough. That brief moment was enough.

Not thinking too much about it, Taehyung placed a hand over Jungkook’s clenched fist. Instantly, the fist loosened, slack with surprise, and the boy turned quickly, doubt washing over his face as doe eyes blinked in question.

Taehyung didn’t turn to face him, choosing to look at the others instead. Nevertheless, he squeezed the hand underneath his twice, softly, comfortingly. He just wanted the younger to _know_ , to understand.

_I feel exactly as you do. You’re not alone. We’re in this together, alright?_

Taehyung had a smile on, but his eyes were conflicted.

His eyes were set on Jimin.

.

.

.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> What d'you think?  
> If you guys watch it too, you might've noticed similarities. That's because they are similar, and I'm going to explain all that right now.  
> I'm basing the characters of Tae, Jimin and Kookie after (You may have guessed it~!) Park Jihoon, Lee Daehwi and Kim Samuel, aka, the holy trinity of produce 101. Atleast for me. And as they're based on them, sadly, I won't be including them in my version of the contest lol. I just had to, guys. Lee Daehwi looks so much like JImin sometimes with his hair color and height, and Kim Samuel just looks like he's a golden maknae as well--he's like Kookie part two.  
> And Park Jihoon. God, I can't even.  
> He's such an enigma I can't seem to stay away from. Is he cute? Is he sexy? Is he just plain quirky?  
> No on knows...  
> Also, his role model is Tae, and it's just meant to be really.  
> I think this story will have about 15 chapters, one for each episode and one or two as the epilogues i guess. Let's see.  
> Anyway! Pleaaaaaseeee let me know what you guys think of this! And I WILL update mt youtuber taekook story, do not fret!  
> Like, kudos, subscribe, comment, favorite!


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